Killer’s Touch
The true story of a young Florida mother brutally murdered—and a tragic failure of the 9-1-1 system . . .
Denise Amber Lee was a twenty-one-year-old happily married mother of two little boys. She had her whole life ahead of her—until an intruder broke into her North Port, Florida, home. Within a few short hours she was savagely terrorized, murdered, and buried naked in a shallow grave near a desolate swamp.
Michael King, a thirty-eight-year-old out-of-work plumber, was a ticking time bomb. For years, neighbors called the police on King, complaining that, among other things, he’d thrown battery acid in their pool and slashed their tires. Lee’s fate was far worse. In a horrifying act of cruelty, King bound her with duct tape, raped her repeatedly, then shot her dead.
Incredibly, Lee managed to call 9-1-1 twice during her abduction. Eyewitnesses and her distraught husband also called, but a slow, inefficient system tragically failed her. As a result, Florida passed the Denise Lee Law, setting voluntary standards for emergency dispatcher systems. King was sentenced to death, but for Lee and her loving family, it was too late. A Killer’s Touch reveals the full story of the crime—and its aftermath.
Denise Amber Lee was a twenty-one-year-old happily married mother of two little boys. She had her whole life ahead of her—until an intruder broke into her North Port, Florida, home. Within a few short hours she was savagely terrorized, murdered, and buried naked in a shallow grave near a desolate swamp.
Michael King, a thirty-eight-year-old out-of-work plumber, was a ticking time bomb. For years, neighbors called the police on King, complaining that, among other things, he’d thrown battery acid in their pool and slashed their tires. Lee’s fate was far worse. In a horrifying act of cruelty, King bound her with duct tape, raped her repeatedly, then shot her dead.
Incredibly, Lee managed to call 9-1-1 twice during her abduction. Eyewitnesses and her distraught husband also called, but a slow, inefficient system tragically failed her. As a result, Florida passed the Denise Lee Law, setting voluntary standards for emergency dispatcher systems. King was sentenced to death, but for Lee and her loving family, it was too late. A Killer’s Touch reveals the full story of the crime—and its aftermath.
