Denise Amber Lee’s husband continues legacy with convicted killer’s death set for next month
NORTH PORT, Fla. - A stranger abducted Denise Amber Lee from her North Port home and murdered the young mother of two 18 years ago. Her death exposed tragic cracks in the 911 system and sparked her husband's life-long mission to make sure no other family suffered the same fate.
Now, the legal journey is nearing its final chapter after Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant for Michael King, the man convicted in her killing.
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The backstory:
The ring Nathan Lee gave to his high school sweetheart and future wife, Denise Amber Lee, sits in his office enclosed in a see-through case.
"I have Denise in my heart all the time. Everything I do when it comes to parenting the boys to telling her story, she’s always here," said Nathan Lee.
Denise Amber Lee's ring was found in the backseat of her King's car, and it was just one piece of evidence she left for investigators after she was abducted from her North Port home in 2008.
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She fought the entire time — even secretly using King's cellphone to call 911 from inside his car. Investigators said King sexually assaulted Denise before killing her.
"I'm just really proud of her for making sure he didn’t get away with it. She was the best witness in the whole thing," said Nathan.
Big picture view:
King was sentenced to death for killing the mother of two, and last Friday, Nathan got the phone call he'd been waiting 18 years for: King's death warrant was signed by the governor.
"I was driving, I had to pull over. I got emotional. I think relief was probably finally this is happening. We’ve been waiting for this to happen. I’m just glad we can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel," Nathan said.
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King's execution is set for March 17.
Dig deeper:
Since Denise's death, her husband has dedicated his life to the Denise Amber Lee Foundation, worked to help reform the 911 system and has worked on training and advocacy.
"I wanted her to be the face of change, because 911 wasn’t good enough, and we needed to make it better. We needed to try and help that industry, which doesn’t get a lot of help. I wanted Noah and Adam to look back on it and see how important their mom was," said Nathan.
Following Denise's murder, the Florida legislature passed the Denise Amber Lee Act. It requires uniform training, certification and education requirements for 911 operators.
While King's execution will never bring closure, a final chapter is now in sight.
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"We are going to be there for Denise. We are going to be there, and I’m glad that he’s not going to be breathing anymore," he said.
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The Source: Information was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon by talking to Denise Amber Lee's husband, Nathan Lee.