Family of woman who was kidnapped and murdered speak about killer's execution

 

The father and one of the sons of a Florida woman who was kidnapped and murdered paid tribute to her memory and talked about how it felt to see her killer receive his final punishment in exclusive new interviews.

Denise Amber Lee, 21, was abducted from her Florida home by Michael King on Jan. 17, 2008. The unemployed plumber sexually assaulted her before shooting her and burying her body in the woods nearby.

A "20/20" episode, "Her Last Call," airing Friday, June 19, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, revisits a case previously covered in 2025 with new interviews.

You can also get more behind-the-scenes of each week's episode by listening to "20/20: The After Show" weekly series right on your 20/20 podcast feed on Mondays, hosted by "20/20" co-anchor Deborah Roberts.

Upon driving home from work on the afternoon of Denise's vanishing, her husband Nathan Lee found their children, 2-year-old Noah and 6-month-old Adam, alone in the same crib."I pick up Noah," Nathan told "20/20." "And he's immediately asking me, 'Where's mommy? Where's mommy? Where's mommy?

Northport Police Dept. Sergeant Scott Smith was the first responding officer to the scene and remembered meeting Nathan.

"We initially searched her home and did not find anything that would indicate that there was anything found or any foul play that had occurred other than the fact that her two small children were left alone," he told "20/20."

Nathan and Denise started dating when they were teenagers, with Noah arriving soon afterwards.

"We had no money, but we didn't care," Nathan said. "We were madly in love.Noah, who is now 20, credits his mother with saving him and his brother on the day she disappeared.

"I always say she sacrificed herself to make sure we were safe. We came first," he told "20/20."

One of Denise's final acts also proved vital in helping investigators track down her killer. Managing to get a hold of her abductor's cell phone, she called 911 from the back seat of King's vehicle. The car, a green Camaro, turned out to be a "traveling crime scene," according to prosecutors.

Denise's last call wasn't enough to save her, but it allowed investigators to trace the number to King.

When police searched his house, they found a hair tie belonging to Denise and duct tape that had light brown hair -- which authorities suspected came from her -- stuck to it.

King was charged with murder in the first degree, kidnapping and sexual battery in 2008 after Denise's body was located in the wood. A jury convicted King on all counts in less than two hours, and he was sentenced to death in September 2009.

He sat on death row in Florida for nearly two decades until 2026, when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant.

Nathan and Noah were both in attendance when King was executed by lethal injection on the evening of March 17.

"I could see him blinking, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to forget that," Nathan said. "But we needed to be there for Denise." "He didn't apologize for killing my mother. He didn't admit to it either," Noah said. "I would have rather heard nothing."

Nathan recalled being able to "feel the tension in the room."

"And then once it was done, I felt like everybody just had this weight lifted off their shoulders," he said. "You know, at least that's what I felt."For 18 years, the Northport Police Department held the last remaining piece of evidence central to King's prosecution. His Camaro, the vehicle where Denise spent the last moments of her life, was destroyed at a Florida auto salvage yard in June.

"We're going to close this chapter finally," Sgt. Smith said in June. "Sometimes these cases last 50 years with people on death row ... and for everybody that was involved in this case, this is a fitting end."In the wake of King's execution, Nathan continues to run the Denise Amber Lee Foundation and travel the country to share her story with 911 emergency workers.

"I'm still dedicating my life to making 911 the best it can be and keeping what happened to Denise from happening again," he said.

Noah, who is nearly as old as his mother was when she was murdered, recalled her affection and noted how he continues to honor her memory.

"Despite her not being here, she's still impacted me tremendously. I always try to dedicate a part of my success to her. Without her, what would I be?" he said.