Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
CBS 48 Hours episode “Cold-Blooded Killer” reexamines Mike Williams’s murder, whose now-convicted killers evaded justice for nearly two decades. The upcoming episode will premiere on the network this Saturday, August 3, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET. A synopsis states, “A father goes hunting in a Florida lake and vanishes. Many thought he was eaten by alligators – not his mother. Seventeen years later, stunning courtroom revelations: it was murder.”
In December 2000, Mike Williams, a married Florida father, went on a solo duck-hunting trip to Lake Seminole and never returned. For years, investigators speculated Williams tragically drowned in the swampy lake as his remains were not found. They believed the heavy alligator activity in and around the area suggested reptiles ate him.
While Mike Williams’ family continued fighting for justice, authorities made a break 17 years later and learned about his real killers. Williams’ best friend, Brian Winchester, confessed to murdering him in exchange for immunity. Additionally, Winchester implicated the victim’s then-wife, Denise Williams, with whom he was having an affair. Denise stood trial in 2019, which resulted in a conviction.
Where are Mike Williams’ killers Denise Williams & Brian Winchester now?
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Mike Williams’ killers, Denise Williams and Brian Winchester, are in prison now. Denise is serving a 30-year sentence in Florida Women’s Reception Center on charges stemming from Williams’ murder. Meanwhile, Winchester, who never faced charges in the decades-old murder case, is in the Madison Correctional Institution on unrelated counts.
Tallahassee Democrat stated that Mike Williams left for a duck-hunting trip on the morning of December 16, 2000. A search for the 31-year-old estate appraiser embarked when he failed to return from Lake Seminole. Authorities searched the area and found Williams’ board, vehicle, and waders but failed to locate him. Additionally, they found heavy alligator activity in and around the lake. This led them to believe that the young father drowned and that the reptiles possibly ate him, leaving no remains.
In 2001, a judge declared that Mike Williams died in an accidental drowning incident, per The Cut. Following this, Williams’ widower, Denise, collected $1.75 million in life insurance claims. But, Williams’ mother, Cheryl, refused to accept the crocodile theory, and upon her insistence, authorities opened a missing person’s case in 2004.
During a decade-long investigation, detectives eventually determined that Mike Williams’ disappearance was suspicious. They began focusing on his then-wife Denise Williams, who had claimed a hefty sum in life insurance payouts after the incident. Five years later, Brian Winchester and Denise got married, and it would be years until they came out as Mike Williams’ killers.
In 2012, Denise Williams and Brian Winchester separated, and the former filed for divorce three years later. However, in 2016, Winchester kidnapped Denise and held her in her car at gunpoint. She then reported the armed kidnapping incident to authorities, which resulted in Winchester’s arrest. Oxygen stated that detectives, who were still investigating Mike Williams’ disappearance, prodded the duo when questioning them. Winchester ultimately confessed to the murder in 2017.
Brian Winchester admitted to shooting Mike Williams in the head in Lake Seminole. He also told detectives about his long-term affair with Denise Williams, which began in 1997. Winchester claimed Denise was unwilling to divorce Mike, fearing she might lose her daughter in the process. He also agreed to testify against Denise in exchange for immunity in the murder case and only faced kidnapping and aggravated assault charges. He received a 20-year prison sentence.
Only one of Mike Williams’ killers, his then-wife Denise Williams, stood trial in 2019. She was facing charges including conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree murder, and accessory after the fact. A jury convicted her in December of that year, following which she got a 30-year term in prison.
CBS 48 Hours episode Cold-Blooded Killer will air this Saturday, August 3, 2023.
