Trending Now - Florida Executes Man for 2008 Rape and Murder of Mother

WHO:

Michael Lee King, 54, executed for the 2008 rape and murder of Denise Amber Lee, 21.

Nathan Lee, husband of Denise Amber Lee, founder of the Denise Amber Foundation.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, overseeing executions in Florida.

WHAT:

King was executed by lethal injection on March 17th, 2026, at 6:13 p.m.

King was sentenced to death in 2009 for first-degree murder, sexual battery, and kidnapping.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied King's appeal on March 16th, 2026.

Florida has scheduled four executions in 2026, following a record 19 executions in 2025.

A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025, with Florida leading.

WHERE:

Florida State Prison, near Starke, Florida.

North Port, Florida, where Denise Amber Lee was abducted.

WHEN:

Denise Amber Lee was abducted in January 2008.

King was executed on March 17th, 2026.

Two more executions in Florida are scheduled for March 31st, 2026, and April 21st, 2026.

WHY:

King abducted Lee while she was outside her home with her two young sons, seeking a victim.

The Denise Amber Lee Act was passed to improve 911 operator training following communication failures during Lee's abduction.

HOW:

King used a three-drug lethal injection for the execution.

Lee managed to call 911 while bound, begging for her life and expressing a desire to see her family again.

King was pulled over by a state trooper after a 911 call reported screams from his vehicle.

(UPDATED March 18, 2026 03:49 UTC)

Michael Lee King was executed by lethal injection on March 17, 2026, for the 2008 rape and murder of 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied his appeal just a day prior. King, who was sentenced to death in 2009 for first-degree murder, sexual battery, and kidnapping, abducted Lee while she was outside her home in North Port, Florida, and she bravely managed to call 911 during her ordeal. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis oversees the state’s executions, with four scheduled for this year following a record 19 executions in 2025.