CBS’s ’48 Hours’ covered the terrifying abduction and murder of Jerry Michael Williams, or Mike as he loved to be called. And as a result, we now have a lot more information about the people involved and how they managed to get away with being criminals for nearly two decades. Mike’s high school sweetheart gets implicated in the one-hour special broadcast, which reveals who she truly is.
Do you have any idea what happened to her or where she is now? Here’s everything we know so far.
Must Read: Jerry Michael Williams Murder: Who Killed Him and Why?
Denise Williams: Who Is She?
Denise met Mike when they were both teenagers at North Florida Christian High School. They built a bond, a relationship, and fell head over heels in love. The pair married in a magnificent wedding in front of their friends and family in Florida in 1994, and began their lives together in the state’s capital, Tallahassee. They even welcomed their daughter into the world five years later.
Denise, on the other hand, had been having an affair with Mike’s best friend, Brian Winchester, since 1997. Both of them were married at the time, but while Brian had the courage to divorce his wife, Denise refused. She didn’t want to be known as a divorcee or have to share custody of their daughter, so she enlisted Brian’s help to finally get rid of her husband.
Denise’s original plan was for Brian to shove Mike from the boat and into the lake while she stayed at home with her daughter, making his death appear to be a drowning accident when they went on a duck hunting trip together. However, when Mike became aware of what was going on and began to struggle, Brian became alarmed and shot him in the head at point-blank range.
Mike’s body was loaded into his car, the boat was pushed back into the lake, and he drove 60 miles to Carr Lake to be buried in the muck. He made it appear as if Mike was the only one who had ever been there.
Denise did, in the end, get what she desired. So, months later, she filed a court petition to have her husband declared legally dead, and she received $1.75 million from three distinct life insurance policies in Mike’s name. Brian was the man she married in 2005. However, their relationship did not work out as planned, and they divorced in 2012. In 2016, after Denise had filed for divorce, Brian attempted to kidnap her from her car with a revolver.
Brian was sentenced to 20 years in jail for Denise’s kidnapping in December 2017, but the incident shifted attention to their relationship and their possible involvement in Mike’s mysterious disappearance and murder. Mike’s body was discovered a day after his sentencing was announced. Brian had finally broken down and admitted the truth, but only in return for complete immunity.
Read Also: Where Is Brian Winchester Today?
What Happened to Denise Williams and Where Is She Now?
Denise was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and accessory after the fact for the death of Jerry Michael Williams in May 2018. Denise was found guilty of all charges a year later after Brian testified that she shot Mike at her insistence. She was given a life sentence without the possibility of release, as well as a 30-year sentence. She remains incarcerated to this day, and because life in Florida means life, she will spend the remainder of her days there.
