Execution date reaffirmed for Michael King, man convicted of 2008 murder and kidnapping

The Supreme Court of Florida has upheld the death sentence for Michael L. King, convicted for the 2008 murder of Denise Amber Lee.

According to a press release, King's attempts to seek postconviction relief were denied, and his death sentence date was reaffirmed.

He appealed for a stay of execution and argued for additional records from the Florida Department of Corrections, claiming violations of his Fourteenth Amendment rights. These appeals were rejected by the court, which found no evidence supporting King's claims of FDOC's maladministration of lethal injection protocols.

Gov. Ron DeSantis scheduled King's execution for March 17 after issuing a death warrant on Feb. 13.

The court also dismissed King's Eighth Amendment claims, which argued that newly discovered evidence showed his life had value and his case was not among the most aggravated. The court found these claims untimely and without merit, as they were based on evidence available long before his death warrant.

King was convicted of first-degree murder, involuntary sexual battery, and kidnapping in the brutal case involving the kidnapping and murder of Lee, who managed to call 911 while bound in the backseat of King's car. Lee's body was later found at an abandoned construction site, and forensic evidence linked King to the crime.

• READ MORE: ‘Denise won’: Husband reacts after execution date set for Michael King in 2008 kidnapping and murder case

The court's decision affirms the summary denial of King's postconviction relief motion and his appeal to vacate the death sentence. The execution will proceed as scheduled.