How Denise Williams Nearly Outsmarted Justice in Her Husband’s Shocking Murder Plot
So here’s a wild one for you: Denise Williams managed to keep a secret bigger than the Loch Ness Monster for nearly twenty years, convincing everyone her husband Mike’s disappearance was chalked up to a fatal run-in with a Florida alligator. I mean, who wouldn’t buy that story, right? Mike went on a duck hunting trip in 2000 and vanished, presumed lost to the swampy depths of Lake Seminole — alligator attack, case closed. Except, fast forward 17 years, his body surfaces 60 miles away, revealing the whole thing was anything but a tragic accident. With a tangled web involving a life insurance policy, a new marriage to her husband’s best friend, and a secret affair, Denise’s story unravels into a true crime saga that had investigators shaking their heads. Was it really nature’s jaws that did Mike in, or something far more sinister? Spoiler alert: Denise was convicted in 2019, but the drama doesn’t end there — she still proclaims her innocence. Curious how a “tragic accident” became a cold-blooded murder mystery stretching almost two decades? Buckle up. LEARN MORE
Denise Williams was arrested in 2018 and charged with murdering her husband, Mike Williams — almost two decades after Mike’s death was chalked up to an alligator attack.
Leon County Detention CenterDenise Williams was able to conceal the truth of her husband’s death for almost 20 years.
When Mike Williams went missing in December 2000, police initially believed that he had been killed by alligators during a hunting trip in Florida’s Lake Seminole. His wife, Denise Williams, seemed bereft, and the whole incident was chalked up to a tragic accident.
But 17 years later, police found Mike’s body 60 miles away in Tallahassee. Mike’ death was clearly not an accident. And police began to suspect that Denise Williams had had something to do with her husband’s demise.
She had been the one to petition to declare her husband dead — and she’d taken out a large insurance policy on him before his disappearance. What’s more, Denise had subsequently married Brian Winchester, her husband’s best friend, and police suspected that they’d been engaged in an affair.
In 2019, Denise Williams was convicted of first degree murder, conspiracy, and accessory to murder. But she maintains her innocence to this day.
Mike And Denise Williams’ Seemingly Perfect Marriage
Tallahassee DemocratMike Williams disappeared after going on a duck hunting trip in December 2000.
Mike and Denise Williams were high school sweethearts who’d married in 1994. By 1999, things seemed good for the couple. They had had their first child, Mike was making good money working for Ketcham Realty Group as a property appraiser, and he had time to indulge his passion for duck hunting.
But what Mike didn’t know was that Denise was having an affair. She and Mike’s best friend, Brian Winchester, who had gone to high school with the couple, had started to quietly see each other in 1997.
No one knew that, however, and so no one thought much of the fact that Mike and Denise bought a one million dollar life insurance on Mike — through Winchester — just a few months before Mike disappeared. In fact, Mike and Denise told their families that they were planning to have a second child. To outsiders, the couple seemed just as happy as ever.
Russell GraceMike and Denise Williams seemed to have the perfect marriage until he went missing in 2000.
Then, on Dec. 16, 2000, tragedy seemed to strike. According to Denise Williams, Mike left early that morning to go duck hunting at Lake Seminole. The couple was supposed to meet up later to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary. But Mike never returned home.
Denise Williams began to call around looking for her husband. A search party, which included Winchester, soon set out to look for him. Though they found Mike’s boat and car at Lake Seminole, they found no sign of him.
Mounting Suspicion About Mike Williams’ Death
Over the next several weeks, search parties continued to look for Mike Williams. Some 44 days after he vanished, they came across Mike’s waders, his fishing jacket, his hunting license, and his flashlight. But there was still no sign of Mike Williams himself. Investigators began to suspect that he had been devoured by alligators.
That said, there was no incontrovertible proof that he had died. Without this proof, according to Florida law, Williams did not need to be declared dead right away. He would not have to be declared dead for five years. But Denise Williams pushed for him to be declared dead much sooner — and he was ultimately declared dead just six months after he vanished. At that point, Denise was able to collect on his life insurance policy.
State Attorney’s OfficeMike Williams’ abandoned boat.
Then, in 2006, Denise Williams and Brian Winchester got married.
But Mike Williams had not been forgotten. Mike’s mother, Cheryl Williams, was suspicious of Mike’s death from the very start. According to CBS News, she wrote down dozens of questions about Mike’s murder, and even spoke to an alligator expert who told her that alligators don’t feed during the cold winter months. Even if they did, the expert told Cheryl, an alligator attack would leave forensic evidence behind.
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