SARASOTA – The penalty phase of the Michael King murder trial is now on hold. The judge ordered a doctor to test King to see if he’s competent, a move that could put his sentencing in jeopardy.

For weeks, Michael King has come into the courtroom and for the most part act emotionless, talking to no one. The defense says that he has a brain injury. The prosecution says that’s not the real Michael King.

Wednesday, the Judge Economou wanted to find out why Michael King is in a “catatonic state”. And for the first time, jurors heard from the family of Michael King, as the defense tried to continue their argument that an injury as a child caused brain damage. “All the time he had nosebleeds. Mike was always afraid of the doctor or the dentist…stuff like that. So he never went. We tried to get him to go, because they were severe at times,” said his brother, Jim King.

Jurors also heard from an ex-girlfriend, who said his mental state was deteriorating. “He still acted like he was somewhere else,” said Jennifer Robb.

And he was hearing sounds that could have drove him insane. “Would get really bad headaches. We would be out doing something, and his head would hurt, and he would say it almost felt like, you know, a freight train on his head, you know…something tight. He would have to go lay down, or go right home,” said Robb.

The prosecution wanted to bring a witness to testify that King was acting competent the day he kidnapped, raped and murdered Denise Lee; that he was not like he is now: quiet, blank stares, and emotionless.

Since that was brought up, it prompted the judge to halt the case for an evaluation by doctors. “The issue having been raised, is required of the court to have an evaluation performed to determine whether or not the defendant is competent for proceeding at this time,” says Judge Economou.

Denise Lee’s parents say King has been coached to act this way in court, and say they are not buying it. “Now he going to get in here and make you think for three weeks that he’s crazy as can be. And you ask the jailers, and there he’s fine, he talks to people every day. But when with he’s in the courtroom he doesn’t want to talk. Another way of him being a coward and don’t want to face his actions,” says father Rick Goff.

“We know he’s just putting on an act in there. So hopefully the doctors will see through that, and we’ll get the sentence we want,” says Susan Goff.

So the sentencing phase has been put on hold for now. Michael King is being looked over by two separate doctors. They will give their findings to the judge Thursday morning.

Missing, where is the cousin’s testimony, He was the last to see him? The Cousin gave him the shovel and gas can.

http://www.abc-7.com/Global/story.asp?S=11039643

Trial blog: King competent for sentencing
Posted: Sep 03, 2009 8:37 AM EDT
Updated: Sep 03, 2009 3:10 PM EDT

3:01 p.m.: We will be back in the courtroom tomorrow morning when court begins with opening statements. Watch Marisa Brahney’s report tonight at 6:00 to hear some of today’s testimony.

2:51 p.m.: The attorneys and judge are going over the jury instructions.

The defense is objecting to the aggravators in the case.

2:50 p.m.: The jury is to be back at 8:45 tomorrow and court will reconvene at 9 a.m.

2:46 p.m.: Christopher Morales has been called to the stand. He’s with the North Port Police Department. He was with Michael King 8-9 hours after his arrest. He was lucid, conversational and appeared normal. The state has completed their questioning.

The defense is now questioning Morales. He says he had an incident with King in 02 or 03 for a neighbor disturbance.

He says King was on a phone call where he said he was going to be killed, raped and asked his brother to call 911 from Michigan.

Morales is done.

The state is done. All that’s left are the closing arguments and jury instructions. They will start tomorrow morning with closing arguments. Then they will be given instructions and then deliberate.

The jurors are excused now.

2:34 p.m.: The defense is cross examining the witness. The defense is asking about the invalid tests. They’re also asking about his IQ test results. He agrees all the IQ scores (from years ago and recently) they are all substantially the same.

The doctor is going to be paid $250 an hour for sitting in the gallery all week.

2:32 p.m.: The doctor says King can follow the law, his ability to do that has not been substantially impaired.

2:28 p.m.: The doctor says paranoia is atypical of frontal lobe damage, contradicting what Dr. Wu testified Tuesday. Inability of controlling impulses is consistent with frontal lobe damage. Difficulty with cognition is consistent with frontal lobe damage. Delusions are not indicative of frontal lobe damage – separating fantasy from reality. Blunted affect – not indicative of frontal lobe damage – more common is inappropriate affect (behavior). Mood disregulation, difficulty regulating your mood, keeping it in check – that is indicative of frontal lobe damage. Greater vulnerability to stress is also indicative of frontal lobe damage. Bizarre behavior – it isn’t consistent with frontal lobe damage.

2:22 p.m.: The state asks if King is mentally retarded. He finds no evidence for that diagnosis.

Does Mr. King have frontal lobe damage? The tests he ran came back invalid. Therefore, the scores derived, he can’t say they are an accurate reflection of his abilities. The doctor believes his real abilities are higher than his performance on the tests.

If he looks at the pattern of performance, it is not indicative of frontal lobe damage.

The state wants to refute Dr. Wu’s testimony, but the defense is objecting. They are at sidebar now.

2:11 p.m.: The doctor is going through all of the different tests he performed and what they are and how they work. One of the tests is a validity test to figure out if a person is faking.

Gamache found King’s tests were invalid and because he didn’t put forth a true effort. He says there is no confidence the other scores the Gamache did with King are accurate.

The invalid result is likely the result of one of the following three reasons:

The subject was deliberately attempting to not perform fully
The subject wasn’t motivated to put forth full effort
The subject was simply distracted and had too many other things on his mind.
The doctor says King either wasn’t motivated to put forth full effort or was too distracted. There is a possibility he was deliberately not doing well.

His IQ score was 76 (but the doctor says there is little confidence in this and that his true results would likely be higher)

Previous tests, King scored 83 and 85 (both were after the sledding accident). The doctor says most of the time, people’s IQ scores stay stable.

The doctor has an opinion King’s IQ is likely in the “low average” range in the 80s.

1:55 p.m.: The state has called a doctor to the stand. Dr. Michael Gamache is a psychologist. He has met with Michael King, in April 2, 2009 and August 31, 2009.

He was given documents to review -five or six volumes of documents – including letters from Mr. King to family members, some were transcripts of interviews or depositions, school records of Michael King and work records of Michael King.

He has been in the courtroom for the entire penalty phase.

He spoke to King Monday. (the defense objected to this testimony and the judge must have agreed at sidebar).

The state moved on to another line of questioning.

King does not have a criminal record. The state is asking about PET scans and about frontal lobe damage.

1:45 p.m.: The judge is sending the jury out for about ten minutes. Michael King will not testify. The defense has no more witnesses.

The state has the opportunity to present rebuttal evidence. The jury has been brought back to the courtroom.

1:30 p.m.: We’re back, waiting for court to begin. First up will likely be James King, Michael’s father, via teleconference.

The jury is in the courtroom.

James King Sr is testifying via teleconference.

He says Michael was sick when he was about 1 1/2 and he had double pneumonia and was in the hospital for a while.

The defense is asking about the sledding accident.

He says Michael had a knot on his head and the lower half of his face was bloody. At the doctor’s office, the doctor said his teeth would be okay because they were his baby teeth.

Michael was in a learning disability/special ed classes. He says Michael had trouble spelling.

Michael had trouble with nosebleeds and hardly ever went to the doctor. He went to the doctor and went to the car and hid in the car.

After Michael’s divorce, his father asked him to move to Florida with them and helped him get a job and helped take Matt back and forth to school. (His parents were seasonal residents)

At Christmas 2007, Michael went back to Michigan. He couldn’t find a job, though. He took Michael to a bankruptcy attorney, but a Michigan attorney couldn’t help him, so Michael went back to Florida to take care of the house.

12:29 p.m.: We are in recess for lunch until 1:30 p.m.

12:18 p.m.: When the detectives went to Rodney’s house, he told them he didn’t remember any adverse effects from the sledding accident. He told them he exaggerated a lot afterwards.

Michael still believes he killed a rabbit with a cork gun and still believes it to this day.

After the sledding accident, Rodney told detectives, he only mentioned the exaggerations and killing the rabbit with the cork gun.

Rodney didn’t tell detectives that Michael had buzzing in his head from the sled accident, when he spoke to them in February 2008. Rodney doesn’t remember whether he did or not.

Now the state is asking about the witch incident. Rodney didn’t mention it to the detectives in February.

He didn’t tell detectives about the bow and arrow, the chain saw accident, the wolves incident, the trance-like state he was in January 2008, or that he thought Michael was in another world in early 2008.

12:07 p.m.: He says he didn’t believe detectives had the right person, that the brother he knew wouldn’t kill someone. When can’t recall what he said to detectives in February 2008.

The state wants to know if Rodney told Florida detectives that Michael was knocked unconscious and if he was bleeding. The statement he made at the time he said he didn’t remember Michael bleeding.

Rodney was asked if Michael was knocked unconscious (in February 2008), but couldn’t answer the question.

In 2008, Rodney told investigators he doesn’t remember Michael going to the doctor.

He told police about a time he hit his head on a pole. He knocked himself in the head and it knocked him to the ground. It knocked him out. After he was knocked out he told the detectives he heard buzzing in his head.

He never saw Michael get violent or scream.

11:59 a.m.: Rodney testifies the witches incident is because of the sledding accident.

The chainsaw incident, Rodney believes it was as a result of the sledding incident.

He also believes the bow and arrow incident was because of the sledding accident.

The belief there were wolves in the woods was a result of the sledding accident.

The trans-like state was a result of the sledding accident. “He still had a head injury lingering on”

Rodney says he never realized how bad the sledding accident was.

In December 07-January 08, Rodney testified Michael seemed to be in another world and that was a result of the sledding accident.

Michael was paranoid about getting lost while driving and that was a result of the sledding accident, Rodney says.

Rodney says he has trouble with short term memory and that he’s on a lot of medications.

In February 2008, Rodney met with investigators in Michigan. He remembers speaking to the investigators and telling them the snowmobile was going 90 mph. He told them Michael hit a pole or a barn with his head.

When Rodney talked to detectives in February, he didn’t remember if Michael was bleeding after the sled accident. He remembers Michael was bleeding from his mouth but doesn’t remember if he was bleeding from the head.

11:55 a.m.: The state is now cross-examining the witness.

At the time of the sledding accident, he was five years old. It was right after he hurt his chin. He remembers going to school in ‘77 and the sled accident was in ‘78.

Rodney thinks the sled accident has affected his life, especially because of the buzzing in his head. Michael mentioned the accident and the buzzing in his head often.

11:52 a.m.: Michael had to go back to Florida to meet with a bankruptcy attorney.

The last time Rodney spoke with Michael Christmas or New Years, just before he was arrested.

He didn’t see Michael on the day he was arrested.

11:42 a.m.: In late 2007, Michael visited Michigan. He said Michael was sitting in a recliner and wouldn’t acknowledge him – like he was in a trance.

He says Michael’s look was expressionless. He says Michael was like that when he was on his motorbike – and it seemed like he was in another world.

Rodney says Michael was affected by Danielle leaving him.

At one point Michael was trying to get a job as a plumber so Rodney tried to help him put a resume together. He had to rely on his father for the dates. He says his wife helped finish Michael’s resume.

11:34 a.m.: They cut down the tree stumps and Michael never talked about the witches again.

Rodney says Michael always complained about head buzzing, ever since the sledding accident. He says he didn’t realize the buzzing was so bad.

Rodney remembers the chainsaw accident. It was Rodney, Gary, Maggie and were watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Michael grabbed a chainsaw and cut the tree up.

Then Michael got into the house and Maggie and Rodney got out of the house.

They had to air the house out from the smoke.

Rodney says they didn’t help him clean up or air out the house. They didn’t want Michael to get in trouble. He says Michael walked around, didn’t say anything and never even mentioned the incident He acted like he didn’t know what he did.

Rodney doesn’t think Michael wasn’t going to hurt them.

He didn’t want to get Michael in trouble so they didn’t tell their parents. There were lots of things that didn’t make sense like that, Rodney said.

In 1984, Rodney says they had bow and arrows and rubber on the end of them instead of real arrows. Rodney says sometimes Michael would take off the rubber ends and would shoot at him.

Then at one point Michael got a hold of a real arrow and shot at Rodney and it went through the closet door. When their dad came home, he asked what the hole was for. Rodney explained Michael shot an arrow through it.

11:26 a.m.: Rodney doesn’t remember what the doctor said about Michael’s injury. He just remembers his mom having to wake Michael up every 20-30 minutes.

Rodney says it seemed like Michael always had nosebleeds. It would “gush” out.

He says Michael was scared of doctors. He ran out of the doctor’s office and hid in the back seat of the car and wouldn’t come out.

Michael did go to the dentist and got his wisdom teeth pulled.

Rodney says Michael was a slow learner. Even in junior high he had LRC classes, and in high school as well.

He says Michael had a hard time with reading, writing. He just didn’t understand and wasn’t as advanced.

The defense is asking if he observed bizarre or strange behavior. He says he remembers when he was in second grade and Michael was in third grade…He says they would ride their bikes in the woods and he said two tree stumps were witches that were going to hang them on the tree.

To get through the woods, they would have to ride really fast.

They took guns to the woods to kill the witches. Rodney says no one knew about it.

They shot at the trees, Rodney with the BB gun and Michael had a pellet gun.

11:22 a.m.: Rodney was waiting for his turn on the sled when he saw the accident. Rodney remembers wearing a green jacket that day. He walked over to Michael just after the accident.

Gary carried Michael into the house. Rodney doesn’t remember whether his dad was home at the time and his mom took frozen meat from the freezer to put on Michael’s injuries.

He says Michael had a lot of blood on his face. He says Michael plowed right into a 4″x4″.

“It stopped him right in his tracks.”

11:10 a.m.: The witness testifying by teleconference is Rodney King, Michael’s brother. The jury is being brought in and then the defense will begin questioning him.

The defense is now questioning the witness. Rodney King is 36. He lives in Decker Michigan. He is unemployed, on disability for kidney and lung disease. He can’t travel because of his health.

His father had a triple bypass recently. He has three kids, 16, 14 and 8. He has been married for 16 years.

Michael is Rodney’s older brother.

He says Michael was held back in third grade, so Rodney was held back too.

The defense is asking Rodney about Michael’s sledding accident.

Rodney says he hurt his chin in 1977 and it was four or five months before the sledding accident.

10:53 a.m.: We’re taking a recess while they set up the videoconferencing equipment.

10:52 a.m.: He says Michael was non-responsive, incoherent and was hearing buzzing in his head – in January 2008. Gary says he wished he could’ve helped him in 2008.

Gary has no idea what happened on January 17th.

The state finished with him and the defense has no redirect.

10:43 a.m.: Now the state is asking about the sledding accident. It was a 31 years ago.

Gary says he was driving the snowmobile 40 mph at the time. When they took Michael to the hospital, Gary said there’s nothing we can do, just make sure he doesn’t go into a coma. They had to wake Michael up every 20-30 minutes. That’s Gary’s memory of what happened.

He doesn’t remember the name of the hospital. Gary testified Michael was mentally affected by the accident.

Gary last saw Michael in January 2008 and says Michael seemed to be getting worse. Gary says he wishes he could help him and “it was like a rubber band snapped in his head.”

Michael told Gary he still had buzzing in his head from the sledding accident.

Now the defense is talking about the chainsaw incident.

He says Michael came in the house with the chainsaw and was chasing him. This happened when Michael was 16. They didn’t take Michael to a mental hospital after it happened.

“A pale faced, bugged out eye brother with a chainsaw came towards you with a running chainsaw?” The state asked – and you didn’t take him to a hospital.

Gary didn’t want his brother to get in trouble.

“This situation was so scary to you…you didn’t tell your parents, did you?” Gary didn’t want to get Michael in trouble.

10:36 a.m.: Gary looked up to Michael and respected him. Gary says Michael would often exaggerate. Gary called them hallucinations because Michael would catch a small fish and would say it was a big fish.

Michael had also told him once that he was shooting at ghosts.

Michael says he remembers driving through the redwood forest trees, but has never been to California. According to Gary, then Michael told Gary maybe that happened “in his second life.”

Gary says Danielle would be on the computer all day. Michael was upset because Danielle didn’t clean the house.

10:30 a.m.: The state is now cross examining Gary King. The state asked if there was anything else he had to share with the jury to show the mental problems Michael experienced as a result of the accident.

Gary says once Michael said someone was trying to run him off the road.

Gary says Michael was “square” because he wouldn’t drink. Michael didn’t create waves and seemed to do the best he could. He was a hard worker.

Michael is Gary’s younger brother and doesn’t want anything bad to happen to him. He says Michael worked so supersonic fast he would make mistakes…like a bottle rocket. People liked him because he didn’t try to take advantage of him, but people took advantage of him.

Gary told Michael to refinance his mortgage to pay his bills.

10:26 a.m.: Gary is showing the jury pictures of the snow mobile and sled from the accident.

10:16 a.m.: He says the chainsaw accident happened in the summer of 1988. And Michael was in his teens.

Gary says he and his brother never told his parents about the incident.

In late 2007, Michael visited Michigan and Gary saw Michael in January 2008. Gary says Michael was paranoid about wolves in the woods. He worried about them chasing him.

He says at one point Michael was in a trance and wouldn’t respond. He says he tried to communicate with Michael and he wouldn’t “snap out” of the trance.

He says Michael wasn’t always in a trance, only sometimes.

For a short period of time Michael lived with Gary and his wife. He says everyone loved Michael.

10:08 a.m.: Gary says Michael had buzzing in his head.

He says Michael didn’t use drugs and alcohol.

Now they’re addressing the chainsaw incident. Gary, Gary’s girlfriend, and Rodney were watching a movie, the Texas Chainsaw massacre.

At some point he says Michael went outside, but didn’t realize it. Just as the movie ended, he heard a chainsaw. He saw Michael cutting down a spruce tree. Michael came into the house with the chainsaw and walked toward Gary , and it was smoking up the house. He says Michael had a “ghost look.” Gary says he ran through the house to the doll room and shut the door.

Gary heard silence and went outside. He says Michael seemed to not hear anything or acknowledge what he just did.

Gary says Jim wasn’t at the house when it happened. He says he never told his parents or Jim about the incident.

Gary, Rodney and Gary’s girlfriend cleaned up the tree.

He says Michael had no expression on his face while he had the chainsaw.

Gary saw Michael come out of the garage, and to this day Michael has never mentioned the incident.

10:02 a.m.: Michael’s head was swollen and his teeth were loose. The doctor said they had to take him home and observe him for 48 hours and wake him every 20-30 minutes to make sure he didn’t go into a coma. Gary has been crying while telling the story and says he feels it’s his fault (the accident).

9:54 a.m.: The defense is calling Gary King, one of Michael’s brothers. He drives a semi and is 42 years old. He has never testified in court before.

Gary is approximately 5 years older than Michael.

The defense is asking about a sledding accident in 1978. He was driving the snowmobile.

They had a plastic sled they pulled behind a snowmobile.

He says Michael was on the sled and there was a long rope between the snowmobile and the sled.

Gary was driving the snowmobile that day. He says he was going down a hill, about 40-45, he made a turn and he was screaming for Michael to let go of the rope.

Michael hit the pole head-on. Gary ran over to Michael but he wasn’t moving. He started pounding on Michael’s chest. He says Mike was bleeding from the nose and mouth.

He says Michael’s eyes popped open. He started breathing. He took him to the house and put ice on his face and meat on his head.

They went to the hospital.

9:52 a.m.: The jury is being brought in. This morning will be the teleconference with Michael King’s relatives in Michigan.

9:46 a.m.: The judge is back on the bench and court is in session.

9:01 a.m.: The judge rules the defendant is competent to proceed. Now the attorneys will be discussing jury instructions.

9:00 a.m.: The defense asked if he was reluctant to discuss the voices. The doctor says he did, but that King could’ve been faking.

8:50 a.m: The second doctor is taking the stand, Dr. Gregory DeClue, a forensic psychologist. He has evaluated defendants before.

He says he spoke with King around 5:30 a.m. Attorneys for both sides were present at the time.

He conducted several tests with King.

He found King showed he had the capacity to understand the charges against him, the penalties, adversarial nature of the legal system, could discuss facts with his attorney.

He behaved appropriately during the interview.

His capacity to testify – doctor said there’s no reason he couldn’t. King should be able to testify.

He appeared to have sufficient understanding.

King said he never had mental health issues prior to his arrest. But after his arrest in the jail he has heard a voice. It has been able to influence his perceptions. It can cause him pain. It can “flip” him pain.

He doesn’t believe the voice is human or has a body. It isn’t the devil or a religious being.

He doesn’t believe it’s mental illness but that he’s experiencing something real.

He said he hears the voice every day but not all day every day.

The voice distracts him from being able to hear what’s going on in the courtroom.

King says he’s distracted about half the time.

The test to see if he was feigning or exaggerating psychopathology was inconclusive. It’s not an indication he is or isn’t lying.

Regarding competency, if he’s hearing voices he wouldn’t be competent to proceed.

Doctor says he’s either lying or he’s genuinely hearing the voices. “He’s either lying or not”

He does not have an ultimate opinion on whether he’s competent to proceed or not.

8:48 a.m.: The state asked a few brief questions. The defense asked if he spoke about the injury he sustained as a child. The doctor said yes. And the defense didn’t follow with any other questions.

8:45 a.m.: King says he is innocent and can’t believe he was convicted.

He understood the adversarial nature of the court process.

He says the paranoia played a background role. At times he said there were things King didn’t want to talk about, like things his lawyer told him not to discuss and his ex-wife’s information.

He’s had to pull his emotions back because he’s been hearing horrible things about himself.

He denied having mental illness, having hallucinations or taking medication.

The doctor says officially, he is “quite competent to proceed.”

8:43 a.m.: The doctor says King was very cooperative and polite. The doctor also reviewed prior reports. He spent two hours with King.

He found King competent to proceed. He understood the rules of the court, the jury, defense counsel and state attorney. He understood his attorneys were trying to save his life.

He understood he might be sentenced to death.

Says King was paranoid and was confused. He had trouble with dates. At times he became overcome by grief.

He felt the confusion was manipulative to serve his interests.

He said he was a plumber but couldn’t tell how many inches were in a foot or a yard.

King couldn’t do a simple math question.

Said it took quite a while to answer a simple math question.

He seemed confused about the jury but later had no trouble with what the jury found and wanted the change of venue. He said the county was in a conspiracy against him. He was able to discuss the issues of the case.

King said he would’ve had a more fair trial if it had been moved out of the county. He says he will have a good case for appeals because the trial wasn’t moved.

Other than some paranoia and conspiracy, he had a good understanding of the issues of the case.

8:36 a.m.: One of the doctors is now taking the stand, Dr. Eddy Regnier. The jury won’t be in until 10 a.m.

The links from this and the post before mine have some pictures of the family, including Denise’s family if someone would add the pictures please. Thx

During the sentencing phase, defense attorneys for Michael King tried to state that a childhood accident while sledding caused brain injury, an injury that led to King’s inability to control his actions or know right from wrong. They also alleged that he had a very low IQ. An emergency hearing had been held earlier this week in an attempt to prevent prosecutor’s mental health experts from testifying. The Judge agreed with the prosecution and allowed the experts to examine King. Other testimony provided by the defense pointed to an incident where Michael King was 17 years old. Family members of King’s testified that when he was 17, he had chased his family around the home with a chain saw, acting out the movie “Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” The chainsaw was working, and when the event was over, Michael King reportedly behaved as if nothing had transpired.

Michael King’s brothers testified in his defense, telling about King’s state of mind before the murder. One of King’s brothers, James King, described Michael King after his girlfriend broke up with him. Subsequently, Michael King lost his job, was unemployed and was undergoing both bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings. Michael King’s sister in law, Kerry King, testified that she and her husband have custody of King’s son, Matt. Matt is 13 ½ years old.

The defense also called Michael King’s ex girlfriend, Jennifer Robb. Her testimony included that she ended their relationship on Thanksgiving Day, 2007 and had felt that Michael King’s personality had drastically changed. Under cross examination, however, Jennifer Robb stated that she was the aggressive one in the relationship. She also stated that she would throw things out of anger and that Michael King would walk away. This testimony, however, didn’t change the jurors’ decision.

On Wednesday, September 2, 2009, Judge Economou put a temporary hold on the penalty phase to have mental health experts examine Michael King. Addressing the way King sat through each proceeding emotionless and with a blank stare on his face; the exam would help protect the prosecution’s case as well. Ensuring that Michael King was fit for trial was important to ensure that a mistrial would not ensue. After a professional examination by Dr. Eddy Regnier, it was determined that Michael King is not incompetent to understand the proceedings of the death penalty phase.

Today, the jury deliberated as to what the most appropriate punishment would be for Michael King. In closing arguments, Michael King’s defense team stated that due to King’s low IQ, a recommendation of life would be best. They also stated that due to his poor IQ, he could not logically calculate his cold hearted actions of murder against Denise Amber Lee. They pointed to his history of non-aggressive behavior and mentioned that he was a good father, boyfriend, and husband. This was in stark contrast to the prosecution’s closing arguments.

The prosecutor in the case, Lon Arend described the fear that Denise Amber Lee experienced knowing that the shovel had been placed in the car with her. Throughout her fear and terror, she called 911, knowing what evil plans Michael King had for her. The prosecutor described Michael King’s actions as heinous, atrocious, and cruel. He also stated that there is a good chance that Denise Amber Lee saw Michael King put the gun to her head, as there was no proof that her eyes had been covered at the time she was shot execution style. The jury voted 12-0 that Michael King should get the death penalty.

Sources: http://www.examiner.com/x-7403-Tampa-Crime-Examiner~y2009m9d4-Michael-King-gets-the-death-penalty-in-Denise-Amber-Lee-case-videos-from-the-trial

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What happened to the 13 yr old, Matt’s mother ? I had just assume the mother took off to Michigan with her son after the divorce.

—————

all i can say is brain damage or low IQ should work against someone in this situation, they are a menace to society in my opinion… After such an atrocious crime the stress worrying waiting, the questions how you hurt your family and friends would play on your mind, their mentality would be wickid and left shattered that much more risky and unsafe – if he/she would ever be released. Scary and I believe alot of them feel that they have nothing to lose so why not attitude to re-offend… they have so much time behind bars to create a list of absurd events.

———– anyways I am impressed with the 12-0 vote cause I figured the defense would of picked jury members that were totally against the DP.

The Sarasota jury voted 12-0 Friday to recommend death for 38-year-old Michael King. The judge must give the advisory opinion great weight when he sentences King later.

Source

Michael sat physically motionless and emotionless.

The were using keypoints, he was a devoted father and attentative in his relationship, mentioned never being in trouble before. Stressed from the foreclosure on the house and no job.

They failed to mention that his ex wife and kid lives 5 states away in Michigan. That the cousin said it was normal for him to have a woman with him that hollars and yells. (refer to earlier post how the cousin puts that)

http://www.mysuncoast.com/global/story.asp?s=10986855

*** new picture needed ?

If you have any questions or concerns, please send us an e-mail. mailto:info@deniseamberlee.org

UPDATE (1/2/09 10:40am CT):Everything is going well! Sorry we had to take the existing site down. We are running into some delays because the new technologies we are attempting to use are not compatible with our servers the site is hosted on, making some drastic changes necessary. Hopefully the next time you visit, we’ll have a better update for you.

UPDATE (1/2/09 7:32pm CT):Still plugging away – a few styling issues and other cosmetic issues. We’re still well on track for our 1/4/09 return. Thanks for your continued patience.

UPDATE (1/2/09 11:21pm CT):Hard to believe it has been 50 weeks…

UPDATE (1/3/09 6:21pm CT):Still here and still working. I’ve made a few last minute security changes as well, so we’re looking good! Hope you check back tomorrow when we go live!

UPDATE (1/4/09 7:50pm CT):Transfer delays have forced me to push back the release to 10pm Central. Hang in there, it’s now just a matter of web speed!

UPDATE (1/5/09 12:30am CT):Runtime errors from our remote servers have caused me to push back the release even further. I refuse to release an inferior or partial product, so I am forced to apologize yet again for the lack of an official site. We’re still here and still working hard, so please send us an e-mail if you need us.

UPDATE (1/6/09 1:10am CT):The site relaunch has been indefinitely postponed. We likely will be seeking new hosting or another alternative solution. Please bear with us during this transition. Again, just because we don’t have a site doesn’t mean we’re not still working to help tell Denise’s story and find ways to further augment our country’s fine 9-1-1 system.
I’m going to leave all of these updates here so everyone gets an idea of what is going on. I hope you think the wait is worth it.
Thanks again for your continued patience.

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whats going on with the M L King case ? all I see is about the website… interesting tidbit – the abused 911 system… I do wished Denise could of been saved, she struggled so very hard to get help!!!! wrong dispatcher wrong county unbelievable… and yes embarrassing!

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google search – June 11 2008

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2008/6/11/356186.html

MANATEE COUNTY (Bay News 9) — Hundreds of documents, audio and a video tape have been released in the case of the kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee.

On Jan. 17 Denise Amber Lee was snatched from her North Port home. A surprising call from Lee came into 911 three hours after her husband first reported her missing.

The call came in just hours before she died, the last time anyone would hear from her.

Michael Lee King, 37, is the main suspect in the case and has been charged with killing her.

According to the dispatcher who took the call from Lee, the 911 phone call ended when Lee’s kidnapper realized she was on their cell phone.

Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher: “He did not know that she was on the phone.”

North Port police dispatcher: “Ok who did he think she was talking to?”

Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher: “No she had the phone next to her.”

North Port police dispatcher: “Ok, ok.”

Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher: “He was like where’s my phone? She’s like I don’t have your phone, and finally when he took phone.”

The call came in at 6:14 p.m. to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center.

It was the first time authorities learned she was being held against her will.

More Information

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E-mail TV Reporter Summer Smith
Two days after the 911 call North Port police found Lee’s body in the woods.

Police said they found evidence linking King to the crime, including tape they said contained Lee’s hair.

The documents released did not reveal if King and Lee knew each other before the murder or a possible motive.

Prosecutors are not releasing the 911 call made from Lee. They said it is exempt from public records laws because King made statements that are admissions.

Lee left behind a husband and two young sons.

According to court documents, DNA found on Lee’s body has been matched to King’s DNA. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for King if he’s convicted.

*** there is a video link – not working for me.

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I’m Thinking of Denise’s son that’s soon having his third birthday……… Have a Happy Birthday darling… You are Loved ! Both of you boys ! wishing you a lifetime of happiness and good times.

I’ve never come across this story, it really was a bad way to end my night. Glad I did though, it added another souvenir to my paranoia collection. Jeez, like I don’t have enough. I am investing in a stun gun.

7-23-08

http://www.tvguide.com/detail/tv-show.aspx?tvobjectid=191723&more=ucepisodelist&episodeid=8011037

Denise Lee was featured on “Primetime: Crime” at 10/9 CST – There has been a number of reports of 911 calls and witnesses that hesitated to call 911. In one case a man dialed the number on his cell phone and then decided to end the call. The last woman to see Denise alive. Explained there were awhole lot of questions about the caller. Instead of being concerned with what the report was.

This woman after seeing the photo of Mike King in the paper the next day. Again stepped up and wanted to know why why why ? Now so does Denise’s family.

Denise’s father says it is hard to swallow that it was his Dept where he works. Denise’s Husband says it didn’t have to happen. The 911 dispatchers didn’t put the call thru – each thought the other one had. The were suspended for a short time and ordered to attend a training class. The dept has learned from there mistake.

Pimetime: Crime showed the Denise Lee Story with great detail / awesome coverage.

I KNEW back when I read this that this was all wrong. This idiot couldn’t have made it easier to be caught if he had driven her and himself to the freaking police station! Even if he had, it seems they still would have missed him as he murdered her in the PD lobby! Holy shit! How could this woman have not survived??? You have the dumbest criminal on the face of this earth, a smart woman, plenty of concerned citizens calling for help, and that STILL WASN’T ENOUGH????I am leaning towards agreeing with the conservatives and their gun rights arguments. Who the hell can you count on to protect you nowadays?? The fucking cops??? Yeah, tell that to Denise!

You can count on NO ONE but yourself, to protect you. Never forget that. Even when you have others trying to help, sometimes you just need a pistol in your pocket to save your own ass. Its saved mine more than once, and obviously, I’m not in jail because I killed someone.

That does seem to be the case — that no one else applied for the job. How in the hell could you forget something like that? Why in the hell wouldn’t you have come up with a better excuse?

I KNEW back when I read this that this was all wrong. This idiot couldn’t have made it easier to be caught if he had driven her and himself to the freaking police station! Even if he had, it seems they still would have missed him as he murdered her in the PD lobby! Holy shit! How could this woman have not survived??? You have the dumbest criminal on the face of this earth, a smart woman, plenty of concerned citizens calling for help, and that STILL WASN’T ENOUGH????
I am leaning towards agreeing with the conservatives and their gun rights arguments. Who the hell can you count on to protect you nowadays?? The fucking cops??? Yeah, tell that to Denise!

Was she smoking crack, by chance? Somebody please tell me that the police departments in this country don’t hire people who are naturally this stupid, and then put them in a position where they are responsible for the lives of others….. At least if she was smoking crack or doing meth, I could try and convince myself that not all of the people in that office were given the job simply because no one else applied….

That does seem to be the case — that no one else applied for the job. How in the hell could you forget something like that? Why in the hell wouldn’t you have come up with a better excuse?

And you are correct in your statement of “cold-cocking the bitch would not cause any brain damage” – nothing there, nothing to damage.

- I hope the husband and children get one of the largest settlements in history.

Me too….and I also hope the husband, as part of the settlement, is given the opportunity to knock the holy living SHIT out of everyone who had a part in ‘dropping the ball’ in this case. He needs to be given the chance to at least cold-cock the stupid dispatcher with the spotty memory. After all it’s not like the hit will have any chance of causing brain damage in such a person, because that bitch is already brain dead! My God! If that had been a family member of mine, I would already be on death row myself, having hunted down the stupid twat, and fucking killed her!

Was she smoking crack, by chance? Somebody please tell me that the police departments in this country don’t hire people who are naturally this stupid, and then put them in a position where they are responsible for the lives of others….. At least if she was smoking crack or doing meth, I could try and convince myself that not all of the people in that office were given the job simply because no one else applied….