Florida Supreme Court denies push to delay execution of man convicted of killing North Port woman

BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. —

The Florida Supreme Court has denied the motion for a stay of execution and affirmed the conviction of a man for kidnapping, raping and killing a North Port mother in 2008.

Michael King is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on March 17.

According to the death warrant signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, King, a plumber, abducted Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old woman who was a mother of two, from her home on Jan. 17, 2008.

King took Lee to his home, where she was raped. Approximately an hour later, King put her in the backseat of his car as he drove to a relative's house to borrow a flashlight, shovel and gas can. Lee was able to get hold of King's cell phone and call 911.

The warrant states, “Ms. Lee is heard crying and begging to be saved so that she could see her husband and children again,” on a recording of the call.

Despite multiple 911 calls that provided detailed descriptions of King's location, no officers were reportedly sent to help.

King took Lee to a remote area where he shot her in the face and buried her. King was convicted of kidnapping, sexual battery and first-degree murder in 2009.

Lee's murder prompted Florida legislators to approve the "Denise Amber Lee Act" in 2010. This act required the Department of Health to establish criteria for the certification of 911 dispatchers.

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