A trial has begun for a Florida woman accused of helping mastermind the death of her high school sweetheart husband to get a $1.75 million insurance payout.
Prosecutors contended on Tuesday that Denise Williams planned the 2000 slaying of her husband Mike Williams with a man that she was having an affair with and later married.
On a cold morning in December 2000, Mike, 31, disappeared while duck hunting on a large lake near Tallahassee.
Initially it was believed that he had fallen from his boat and that his body had been devoured by alligators. His disappearance triggered a massive search by local and state authorities.
Florida prosecutors contended on Tuesday that Denise Williams planned the 2000 slaying of her husband Mike Williams with a man that she was having an affair with and later married. The mother-of-one is pictured above in court on Tuesday
It was revealed years later that Williams had died from a shotgun blast to the head and had been buried near a lake.
The man who shot him was his best friend and insurance agent Brian Winchester, who confessed last year to the killing.
At the time of his death Mike had three life insurance policies worth $1.75 million, which Winchester reportedly helped him write.
Denise eventually went on to marry Winchester five years after her husband’s death but their relationship soured and they later divorced.
The now 48-year-old was arrested back in May and charged with murder, fraud, conspiracy, and accessory after the fact in the relation to Mike’s death.
Her bombshell arrest came 18 years after her first husband’s disappearance following a major breakthrough in the cold case that started with a shocking confession from Winchester.
Authorities said Winchester confessed to shooting his childhood friend Mike as part of a plan that he had formed with Denise, who he was having an affair with, so they could be together.
Denise, now 48, was arrested back in May and charged with murder, fraud, conspiracy, and accessory after the fact in the relation to Mike’s death. He disappeared in December 2000 while duck hunting near Tallahassee
The slain man’s friend Brian Winchester confessed last year to killing Mike as part of a plan he allegedly hatched with Denise so they could be together. Winchester’s confession came after he was sentenced to 20 years for kidnapping Denise in 2016
His stunning confession came after he was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison for kidnapping Denise at gunpoint.
Denise filed for divorce from Winchester in 2015 and he feared she would tell authorities about his involvement in his friend’s murder.
He kidnapped her in August 2016 and made her promise not to reveal their alleged secret. After she was released by Winchester, Denise when to authorities and reported the kidnapping.
When he was arrested, prosecutors offered Winchester immunity from any charges related to Mike’s death if he confessed the details of the murder plot.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping his ex-wife. The very next day, authorities announced that Mike’s remains were found at the end of a dead-end road after they received ‘new information’.
Denise was arrested five months later.
Her attorney, Philip Padovano, told jurors on Tuesday there is no evidence his client was having an affair with Winchester or that she helped plot the killing.
‘There’s no tangible evidence or physical evidence to connect Denise Williams to this crime,’ Padovano said. ‘No confession, no admission, nothing.’
Mike married his high school sweetheart Denise in 1994 and welcomed a daughter with her five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished and is now aged 18
He told them that Winchester has been given immunity from murder charges in exchange for his testimony and that he was given a lighter sentence in his kidnapping case. In order to find Williams guilty, Padovano told the jury that ‘you will have to rely on the word of a murderer and a convicted felon.’
Winchester is expected to eventually testify in the case.
Mike and Denise were high school sweethearts and married in 1994 before welcoming a daughter five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished and is now aged 18.
He disappeared on what would have been the couple’s six wedding anniversary.
Authorities launches an exhaustive 44 day search for Mike’s body after he vanished in 2000.
Six months after his disappearance, waders believed to belong to Mike were found floating in perfect condition in the search area. They reportedly showed no signs of an alligator attack.
Without a body, Denise petitioned to have her husband declared dead due to accidental drowning and she collected his death benefits.
She married Winchester in December 2005, but the relationship soured and they divorced in 2016.