Companion post to our two-part Crime Clueless episode series
On the morning of December 16, 2000, Denise Williams watched her husband leave their home on Centennial Oaks Circle in Tallahassee, Florida. It was 3am. He was headed to Lake Seminole — a sprawling reservoir straddling the Georgia-Florida line — to duck hunt before dawn, just as he’d done dozens of times before. Court documents would later reveal that Brian Winchester, Mike’s best friend, had wanted to be there “well before dawn,” even proposing they meet at a gas station at 4am.
By nightfall, Mike Williams would be missing. It would take seventeen years for anyone to learn what actually happened to him.
This is the story we covered across two episodes — and if you’re here after listening, this post pulls together the full timeline, the key players, and some of the source material behind the episodes in one place.
Who Was Mike Williams?
Jerry Michael “Mike” Williams was 31 years old, a real estate appraiser in Tallahassee, and — by every account we found in our research — a genuinely well-liked guy. He’d grown up attending North Florida Christian High School, where he met his future wife, Denise, a cheerleader to his football player. They married in 1994 and welcomed a daughter, Anslee, in 1999.
Mike was an avid outdoorsman, and Lake Seminole was his lake — he’d hunted it for years and knew its stumps, coves, and currents well. December 16, 2000 also happened to be his and Denise’s sixth wedding anniversary. He told her he’d be home by noon so they could get ready for dinner in Apalachicola that evening.
He never came home.
The Disappearance and the 44-Day Search
When Mike didn’t return by noon, Denise began calling around. By mid-afternoon, her coworkers were alerted; by evening, a helicopter had been requested. Search efforts continued through the night and into the following morning, when — at around 2:30am — Denise and Brian Winchester found Mike’s boat floating empty, 75 to 100 yards offshore. The engine was still running. His gun, decoys, and gear were untouched.
What followed was a search effort that would run 44 days: Florida Fish and Wildlife officers, ground searches, underwater cameras, scaling down in stages through the holidays and into February 2001, when it was finally called off. A memorial service was held — though Mike was still, officially, only “missing.”
About six months later, a pair of waders and a hunting jacket surfaced in the lake, seemingly confirming the working theory: that Mike had fallen from his boat, become tangled in his gear, and drowned. With no remains ever recovered, wildlife officials floated an explanation for the missing body — that an alligator had taken him.
An Unusually Fast Declaration
On June 29, 2001 — just six months after Mike vanished — a judge declared him legally dead at Denise’s request. Florida law generally calls for a five-year waiting period in cases like this, which makes the timeline here notably fast. We haven’t found a clean, on-the-record explanation for how that exception came about.
The ruling allowed Denise to collect on Mike’s life insurance — roughly $2 million across two policies. One of those policies had been sold to Mike by Brian Winchester, his best friend, about six months before he disappeared.
The Mother Who Wouldn’t Let It Go
For the next decade, one person refused to accept the official story: Mike’s mother, Cheryl Williams. She hired a private investigator in 2004. In 2006, she ran a newspaper ad — “My son is missing, please help me find him” — pointing out that of the roughly 80 people who’d drowned in Lake Seminole since the late 1800s, Mike was the only one whose body was never recovered, and that alligators generally aren’t feeding in December due to cold water temperatures.
That ad caught the attention of a young Tallahassee Democrat reporter, Jennifer Portman, who began digging into the case documentation herself. Her December 2006 investigation was the first real public challenge to the drowning story, and it helped push the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take over the case in 2008, now treating it as possible foul play. A separate state investigation into the insurance policies opened the same year.
Starting in 2009, Cheryl began writing letters to the Florida governor — every single day. By 2011, the case had gone semi-national via a cable true-crime special. And still, there were no answers.
The Marriage
On December 3, 2005, Denise married Brian Winchester. To their community, it likely looked like two people who’d grieved together and found comfort in each other. But the facts sitting underneath that marriage — the insurance policy Brian had sold, his presence at the discovery of the empty boat, and now this — would take on very different weight years later.
After the marriage, the case went quiet for years. No arrests. No charges. Just Cheryl, still writing her letters, still refusing to let it go.
The Break: A Kidnapping in 2016
In 2015, Denise filed for divorce from Brian. In August 2016, he ambushed her — hiding in the back seat of her car, holding her at gunpoint, pleading with her to stop the divorce. At one point he told her, “I’ve lost everything. I have nothing to live for,” language that raised concern he may have been considering a murder-suicide.
Denise talked him down. She promised him she wouldn’t tell anyone — then drove straight to the sheriff’s office and reported everything.
Court documents later revealed something significant about that morning: Brian’s fear of what Denise might tell police about Mike’s disappearance is what drove his actions that day. The kidnapping wasn’t a separate story from the 2000 case — it was the same secret, sixteen years later, finally cracking open.
Brian was arrested and eventually pleaded to 20 years for the kidnapping — as part of a deal that granted him immunity from prosecution for Mike’s murder, in exchange for a full, truthful confession and leading investigators to the body.
The Confession
On December 20, 2017, FDLE announced what Cheryl had believed for seventeen years: Mike Williams had been murdered. Special Agent Mark Perez put it in four words: “He was murdered.”
Brian’s confession, laid out at trial, described the morning in devastating detail. He pushed Mike from the boat before dawn. Mike freed himself from his waders and surfaced, clinging to a stump. Brian circled the boat, reloaded his shotgun, and shot him at point-blank range — nothing like the “hunting accident” the plan had called for. Panicked, he drove Mike’s body back to Leon County — near where Mike had grown up — and buried it close to Carr Lake, roughly 60 miles from Lake Seminole, where the entire 44-day search had taken place.
Finding Him
In October 2017, FDLE excavated the Gardner Road landing near Carr Lake. Around 30 people, including cadaver dog handlers, worked shifts up to 16 hours a day, digging through a 9-foot hole that kept refilling with water, water moccasins and eels turning up throughout. Just as the crew was ready to give up, they found him — buried about six feet down. Two DNA tests confirmed it was Mike. Nearly 98% of his bones were recovered, his remains described as well preserved. He was still wearing his cold-weather gloves, his boots — and his wedding ring.
The Affair, the Trial, and the Verdict
At trial, Brian testified that his affair with Denise had begun in October 1997 — three years before the murder. He described their relationship in his own words: “We were Bonnie and Clyde. We were partners in crime.” He also testified that the week before the murder, Denise had gotten cold feet about the plan — and encouraged Mike to go hunting with Brian anyway.
Denise was indicted for first-degree murder in May 2018 and arrested in handcuffs at her office at Florida State University. Her December 2018 trial was largely circumstantial — built on Brian’s immunized testimony, information from his ex-wife Kathy Thomas, and a handful of insurance documents. Jurors and reporters alike noted Denise’s near-total lack of visible reaction throughout, even during Brian’s account of the shooting. After roughly eight hours of deliberation, she was found guilty on all three counts: first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and accessory after the fact.
Sentencing, a Reversal, and Resentencing
In February 2019, Denise was sentenced to life without parole plus 30 years. At the hearing, Cheryl Williams delivered the case’s only victim impact statement, describing how she still pictured her son “clinging to a tree stump in Lake Seminole in the dark.
Almost two years later, in November 2020, a three-judge appellate panel reversed Denise’s first-degree murder conviction — not on a claim of innocence, but on a narrow legal question: under Florida law, being convicted as a “principal” to murder requires proof of commanding, aiding, or encouraging the crime at the moment it occurred. The court found Denise’s actions — considering ways to kill Mike, building an alibi, encouraging the hunting trip — didn’t meet that bar. Her conspiracy conviction and 30-year sentence, however, stood.
Because the murder sentence’s vacating required her remaining sentence to be readdressed, Denise was resentenced in September 2021. Her attorneys argued she’d been a minor participant; Judge Kevin Carroll disagreed, stating plainly that she “could have stopped this on December 16, as she had done before.” Cheryl spoke again, asking the court to show no mercy. Denise addressed the court for the first time, calling her role “a great moral failure.” The couple’s daughter, Anslee — then 22 — spoke in her mother’s defense.
Denise was resentenced to the full 30 years.
Afterward, Cheryl Williams said: “Michael has justice… I believe he can rest in peace now.”
Where the Story Sits Today
Denise Williams is serving her 30-year sentence at a Florida women’s correctional facility. Brian Winchester remains incarcerated on his kidnapping conviction. Their case has since drawn renewed attention — a 2023 Wondery podcast season hosted by Jennifer Portman herself, a 2024 nonfiction book, and a 2025 ABC News Studios/Hulu docuseries, Mr. & Mrs. Murder.
For us, though, the heart of this one was always Cheryl Williams — seventeen years of letters, ads, and refusing to let a lake full of stumps and an alligator theory be the last word on her son.
To listen to our episode covering this case, start with part 1 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
If Mike Williams pulled you in, here’s where to go next:
Gary Triano / Pamela Phillips — “The Borrowed Car”
A wealthy man opens his car door in a golf course parking lot, and everything changes in an instant. The person closest to him swore she had nothing to do with it. She was wrong to think anyone would believe that for long. Read more about this case here, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Patsy Bolton Wright
A woman is poisoned in her own kitchen, and the answer sits in a detail so small — two plates on a table — that almost nobody thought to ask about it. Almost nobody. Read more about this case here, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Barbara Mae Tucker
A college campus, 1980. A case that goes cold for over forty years — until a single piece of evidence, sitting untouched the whole time, finally has something to say. Read more about this case here, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Lana Clayton and the Hunsucker Poisonings
Sometimes the most dangerous place isn’t a dark parking lot or an empty road. Sometimes it’s dinner. These are the cases that make you look twice at the people closest to you.
For the Hunsucker, read more about the case here, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
For the Clayton case, read more here, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Have thoughts on this story or other cases you’d like to see highlighted? Share them with us in the comments or connect with us on social media. Together, we can ensure that stories like this one are never forgotten.
Don’t forget to follow us on social media, share your thoughts, and let us know what you’d like to hear about in future episodes. If you have any true crime stories of your own, send them our way crimeclueless@gmail.com to be featured on a future episode! And as always, remember: refuse to be clueless, careless, or caught off guard. Not today, murderers.
See you in the next episode of Crime Clueless!
Resources:
Primary sources (Newspapers.com clippings)
Barrera, E. (2025, July 24). New docuseries on Mike Williams murder case to air on Hulu. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1230567126/
Barrera, E. (2025, July 24). Docuseries [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1230567128/
Brown, M. (2024, August 18). Tallahassee true-crime mystery retold in new book. Tallahassee Democrat, p. B7. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1109708590/
Brown, M. (2024, August 18). Book [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. B8. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1109708593/
Burlew, J. (2020, November 27). Williams’ murder conviction reversed. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/696943534/
Burlew, J. (2020, November 27). Williams [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/696943562/
Crowley, K. (2023, July 31). True crime podcast will shine a new light on Mike Williams case. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/989125846/
Crowley, K. (2023, July 31). Podcast [continued]: Mike Williams before his death; Host Jennifer Portman covered cold case for 12 years. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/989125855/
Etters, K. (2020, January 24). Williams’ attorney argues for new trial. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/631354752/
Etters, K. (2020, December 23). AG asks full court to review reversal. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/701761233/
Etters, K. (2020, December 23). Williams [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/701761262/
Etters, K. (2021, September 10). ‘I believe he can rest in peace now’: Denise Williams, wife convicted in Mike Williams murder, resentenced to 30 years. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/764079350/
Etters, K. (2021, September 10). Williams [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/764079343/
Etters, K. (2021, September 13). Wife convicted in Mike Williams murder resentenced to 30 years. Panama City News Herald, p. B4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1344041237/
Etters, K., & Portman, J. (2019, February 7). Denise Williams gets life sentence. Pensacola News Journal, p. A4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/591292320/
Portman, J. (2006, December 15). Nice guy, hard worker, avid hunter, devoted dad; Experts poke icy holes in gator theory. Tallahassee Democrat, p. 17. https://www.newspapers.com/image/249940446/
Portman, J. (2011, November 28). Mike Williams mystery gets national exposure. Tallahassee Democrat, p. 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/249919219
Portman, J. (2011, November 28). Williams mystery gets national exposure [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/249919221/
Portman, J. (2017, December 21). ‘He was murdered’: After 17 years huge break in disappearance of Mike Williams. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/360867211/
Portman, J. (2017, December 21). Williams [continued]; Closure still to come for Williams’ mother and brother. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/360867218/
Portman, J. (2017, December 24). Break in Mike Williams’ case blows open new door. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/362989845/
Portman, J. (2017, December 24). Williams [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A9. https://www.newspapers.com/image/362989853/
Portman, J. (2018, May 9). First-degree silence: Denise Williams led out of FSU in cuffs for 17-year-old murder of then-husband. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/427884507/
Portman, J. (2018, May 9). Mike Williams timeline [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A5. https://www.newspapers.com/image/427884518/
Portman, J. (2018, May 9). Scene [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A7. https://www.newspapers.com/image/427884524/
Portman, J. (2018, August 26). Mike Williams to get proper burial after public funeral. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/478983413/
Portman, J. (2018, December 16). Cheryl led the way to justice for Mike Williams. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/513626543/
Portman, J. (2018, December 16). Portman [continued]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A10. https://www.newspapers.com/image/513626532/
Tallahassee Democrat. (2000, December 20). Still no sign of missing hunter. Tallahassee Democrat, p. 14. https://www.newspapers.com/image/249239108/
Tallahassee Democrat. (2018, September 2). Mike Williams [obituary]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. A17. https://www.newspapers.com/image/479385494/
White, A. (2018, December 26). Editor kept cold case in the spotlight. Naples Daily News, p. 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/807153258/
White, A. (2018, December 26). Cold case [continued]. Naples Daily News, p. 10. https://www.newspapers.com/image/807153301/
White, A. (2018, December 26). Cold case [continued]. Naples Daily News, p. 13. https://www.newspapers.com/image/807153317/
Williams, C. A. (2006, May 12). My son is missing, please help me find him [Advertisement]. Tallahassee Democrat, p. 13. https://www.newspapers.com/image/249978585/
Extras (books, podcast, docuseries)
Brottman, M. (2024). Guilty creatures: Sex, God, and murder in Tallahassee, Florida. Atria/One Signal Publishers. Guilty Creatures eBook by Mikita Brottman | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster
Epstein, S. B. (2020). Evil at Lake Seminole: The shocking true story surrounding the disappearance of Mike Williams. Black Lyon Publishing. https://www.poynerspruill.com/?p=5993
Nichols, M. B. (Director). (2025). Mr. & Mrs. Murder [TV series]. ABC News Studios; Plum Pictures. Watch Mr. & Mrs. Murder Streaming Online | Hulu
Wondery. (2023). Over my dead body: Gone hunting (Season 4) [Audio podcast series]. https://wondery.com/shows/over-my-dead-body/
Note: Newspapers.com image URLs require an active Newspapers.com subscription to view the full clipping.
