1 00:00:13,539 --> 00:00:18,162 [music playing] 2 00:00:21,463 --> 00:00:23,794 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: On the same day Mike Williams 3 00:00:23,898 --> 00:00:26,297 and his wife Denise planned a romantic evening 4 00:00:26,401 --> 00:00:30,363 to celebrate their anniversary, Mike, a loving husband 5 00:00:30,468 --> 00:00:33,005 and a devoted father, also decided 6 00:00:33,109 --> 00:00:35,543 to see if he could squeeze in a quick hunting trip 7 00:00:35,647 --> 00:00:36,654 that morning. 8 00:00:36,758 --> 00:00:39,088 Mike never returns home. 9 00:00:39,192 --> 00:00:41,869 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Mike vanished without a trace. 10 00:00:41,973 --> 00:00:46,075 In fact, he disappeared so suddenly and completely 11 00:00:46,180 --> 00:00:51,115 that his devastated family felt the only possible explanation-- 12 00:00:51,219 --> 00:00:56,294 no joke-- was that he had been eaten by an alligator. 13 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:00,327 Because Lake Seminole is infested or has a large number 14 00:01:00,431 --> 00:01:05,958 of alligators, there was a rumor around that the guy probably 15 00:01:06,062 --> 00:01:07,731 got snatched up by a larger alligator, 16 00:01:07,836 --> 00:01:11,034 stuffed up under a rock, and that alligator probably preyed 17 00:01:11,138 --> 00:01:13,258 on him until he decomposed. 18 00:01:13,362 --> 00:01:15,412 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: A freak accident, 19 00:01:15,516 --> 00:01:17,951 the hunter became the hunted. 20 00:01:18,055 --> 00:01:20,594 And that was the official story. 21 00:01:20,697 --> 00:01:24,729 Until around 20 years later when investigators discovered 22 00:01:24,834 --> 00:01:28,030 what really happened to Mike, and there was 23 00:01:28,135 --> 00:01:30,777 nothing accidental about it. 24 00:01:30,881 --> 00:01:36,409 I'm Michelle Trachtenberg and this is Meet, Marry, Murder. 25 00:01:54,658 --> 00:01:57,230 Mike Williams dreamed the American dream. 26 00:01:57,334 --> 00:01:59,282 A house with a white picket fence, 27 00:01:59,386 --> 00:02:01,646 a solid job, a beautiful wife. 28 00:02:01,750 --> 00:02:04,565 But he learned early on that nothing in life 29 00:02:04,670 --> 00:02:07,799 would be handed to him on a silver platter. 30 00:02:07,903 --> 00:02:11,552 Mike had come from a modest background. 31 00:02:11,656 --> 00:02:13,569 His daddy was a Greyhound bus driver. 32 00:02:13,674 --> 00:02:15,793 His mom was a daycare provider. 33 00:02:15,897 --> 00:02:18,956 And they had-- they lived in a double wide trailer. 34 00:02:19,060 --> 00:02:20,209 They saved their money up. 35 00:02:20,313 --> 00:02:21,806 They didn't buy a fancy home. 36 00:02:21,911 --> 00:02:24,066 They wanted to save the money to provide a good education 37 00:02:24,170 --> 00:02:25,108 for their sons. 38 00:02:28,272 --> 00:02:29,941 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Throughout high school, 39 00:02:30,045 --> 00:02:32,340 Mike worked nights at a local market 40 00:02:32,444 --> 00:02:35,781 where he met the girl who he would eventually marry, 41 00:02:35,885 --> 00:02:37,414 Denise Merrell. 42 00:02:37,518 --> 00:02:39,604 They were a popular couple. 43 00:02:39,708 --> 00:02:41,065 He played football. 44 00:02:41,169 --> 00:02:43,010 She was a cheerleader. 45 00:02:43,115 --> 00:02:45,583 You've heard this story before. 46 00:02:45,686 --> 00:02:48,677 Except these two high school sweethearts also 47 00:02:48,781 --> 00:02:51,944 came with a third wheel, a mutual friend 48 00:02:52,048 --> 00:02:54,029 named Brian Winchester. 49 00:02:54,133 --> 00:02:57,923 When Denise Williams and Brian Winchester went to high school, 50 00:02:58,028 --> 00:03:00,218 they went to North Florida Christian. 51 00:03:00,322 --> 00:03:01,886 And it was at North Florida Christian 52 00:03:01,990 --> 00:03:04,493 that they met Mike Williams and they 53 00:03:04,597 --> 00:03:08,247 met the woman who would later become Brian Winchester's wife. 54 00:03:08,351 --> 00:03:12,245 And by all accounts, the four of them were inseparable. 55 00:03:12,349 --> 00:03:13,983 They were fast friends. 56 00:03:14,087 --> 00:03:16,624 They all stayed in Tallahassee after graduating 57 00:03:16,729 --> 00:03:19,161 from high school. 58 00:03:19,267 --> 00:03:22,951 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: In 1994, Brian and Kathy got married 59 00:03:23,056 --> 00:03:24,863 and started having kids. 60 00:03:24,967 --> 00:03:27,991 Mike and Denise also got hitched in '94, 61 00:03:28,096 --> 00:03:32,302 but waited five years before starting their family. 62 00:03:32,406 --> 00:03:34,248 Denise and Mike had a very strong marriage. 63 00:03:34,352 --> 00:03:35,430 They had a beautiful daughter. 64 00:03:35,535 --> 00:03:37,550 Mike adored Denise. 65 00:03:37,656 --> 00:03:39,184 Did everything for her. 66 00:03:39,289 --> 00:03:41,061 Really, I mean, he was a great husband. 67 00:03:41,167 --> 00:03:43,704 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Mike wanted his daughter to grow up 68 00:03:43,808 --> 00:03:45,962 with more than he had as a kid. 69 00:03:46,066 --> 00:03:49,196 And with Denise being a stay at home mom, 70 00:03:49,300 --> 00:03:52,706 that meant he had to work twice as hard. 71 00:03:52,810 --> 00:03:54,688 Mike was a good family man. 72 00:03:54,792 --> 00:03:56,253 He was always a hard worker. 73 00:03:56,357 --> 00:03:58,546 Before he even graduated from Florida State University, 74 00:03:58,650 --> 00:04:01,780 he already had a good job as a property appraiser. 75 00:04:01,884 --> 00:04:04,108 And by the year 2000, he was doing pretty well. 76 00:04:04,212 --> 00:04:06,923 He was making a couple hundred thousand dollars a year. 77 00:04:07,028 --> 00:04:09,878 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Mike was a major workaholic. 78 00:04:09,983 --> 00:04:13,494 He'd get to work early, clock out to get home in time 79 00:04:13,598 --> 00:04:15,440 to cook dinner for the family. 80 00:04:15,544 --> 00:04:17,665 And then, go back to the office to finish up 81 00:04:17,769 --> 00:04:21,349 his work after their daughter had gone to bed. 82 00:04:21,453 --> 00:04:26,702 One time, Mike's boss even had to take away his office keys 83 00:04:26,807 --> 00:04:30,666 to stop Mike from coming in over the weekend. 84 00:04:30,770 --> 00:04:34,384 So how did Denise feel about Mike constantly choosing 85 00:04:34,489 --> 00:04:36,505 work over their relationship? 86 00:04:36,609 --> 00:04:39,911 According to her friends, not great. 87 00:04:40,015 --> 00:04:43,180 Especially since Mike always seemed 88 00:04:43,284 --> 00:04:47,351 to find the time for his other passion, duck hunting. 89 00:04:47,455 --> 00:04:49,436 When he was 15, he started duck hunting 90 00:04:49,541 --> 00:04:52,808 and it became his favorite hobby for the rest of his life. 91 00:04:52,912 --> 00:04:56,631 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: December 16, 2000, the day of Mike 92 00:04:56,736 --> 00:04:59,551 and Denise's sixth anniversary. 93 00:04:59,656 --> 00:05:03,339 The plan is for them to go away for the night to celebrate. 94 00:05:03,444 --> 00:05:06,851 Mike even thinks they'll maybe take the opportunity 95 00:05:06,956 --> 00:05:09,318 to try for baby number two. 96 00:05:09,424 --> 00:05:11,892 But before that, he wants to relax 97 00:05:11,996 --> 00:05:14,255 and do a little duck hunting. 98 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,584 And so on the morning of December 16th, 99 00:05:16,689 --> 00:05:20,374 he was going to go to the Florida Georgia Line 100 00:05:20,477 --> 00:05:22,806 to Lake Seminole. 101 00:05:22,911 --> 00:05:26,768 And in Lake Seminole, it's a huge area. 102 00:05:26,873 --> 00:05:29,307 But you see, Mike was an avid duck hunter. 103 00:05:29,411 --> 00:05:30,281 He had his spot. 104 00:05:30,385 --> 00:05:33,929 He knew the areas he wanted to go. 105 00:05:34,034 --> 00:05:36,572 He's supposed to have came over 106 00:05:36,676 --> 00:05:38,171 here duck hunting that morning. 107 00:05:38,276 --> 00:05:42,864 And myself-- nobody else was supposed to have been with him. 108 00:05:42,968 --> 00:05:44,914 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: At the crack of dawn, 109 00:05:45,018 --> 00:05:47,349 Mike is up getting his gear together 110 00:05:47,453 --> 00:05:49,711 and hitching his boat up, something 111 00:05:49,817 --> 00:05:54,196 he has done 1,000 times before. 112 00:05:54,301 --> 00:05:56,282 Before dawn he packed up his truck 113 00:05:56,385 --> 00:05:59,967 and he left for Lake Seminole, which is about 114 00:06:00,070 --> 00:06:02,261 an hour away from Tallahassee. 115 00:06:02,364 --> 00:06:04,484 It's on the Georgia State line. 116 00:06:04,588 --> 00:06:06,815 This was something he just really loved doing. 117 00:06:06,919 --> 00:06:10,255 He told his wife, I'll be back in a few hours. 118 00:06:10,359 --> 00:06:12,931 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Back at home, Denise gets everything 119 00:06:13,037 --> 00:06:15,434 ready so that they can leave for their trip 120 00:06:15,538 --> 00:06:22,109 that night to the nearby town of Apalachicola as soon as Mike 121 00:06:22,213 --> 00:06:24,194 gets back from hunting. 122 00:06:24,298 --> 00:06:26,281 Except he doesn't. 123 00:06:26,384 --> 00:06:29,722 When he didn't show up for around noon time, 124 00:06:29,826 --> 00:06:31,877 his wife started calling around looking for him. 125 00:06:31,980 --> 00:06:33,962 And she finally got a hold of somebody that had 126 00:06:34,066 --> 00:06:36,048 been fishing with him before. 127 00:06:36,151 --> 00:06:39,906 That guy got with her father and they came over here and 128 00:06:40,010 --> 00:06:44,078 notified local law enforcement. 129 00:06:44,182 --> 00:06:45,677 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: The friend 130 00:06:45,781 --> 00:06:48,423 who Denise calls is none other than their best high school 131 00:06:48,528 --> 00:06:51,169 buddy and Mike's frequent duck hunting 132 00:06:51,273 --> 00:06:54,194 partner, Brian Winchester. 133 00:06:54,297 --> 00:06:58,051 Brian and his dad Marcus tell Denise they're sure Mike's 134 00:06:58,155 --> 00:06:59,686 probably running late. 135 00:06:59,789 --> 00:07:04,273 But they'll go back to the lake and check just in case. 136 00:07:04,377 --> 00:07:06,464 By the time Marcus Winchester and Brian 137 00:07:06,568 --> 00:07:08,653 Winchester got out of Lake Seminole, 138 00:07:08,757 --> 00:07:10,148 the weather had gotten bad. 139 00:07:10,252 --> 00:07:13,312 There were some local law enforcement who responded 140 00:07:13,416 --> 00:07:16,023 and then they contacted the Florida 141 00:07:16,127 --> 00:07:18,561 Wildlife Commission, the FWC, which 142 00:07:18,665 --> 00:07:21,375 oversees Game and Wildlife. 143 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:23,809 And they began a search for what they 144 00:07:23,913 --> 00:07:25,200 treated as a missing person. 145 00:07:28,885 --> 00:07:30,588 Perhaps he got lost. 146 00:07:30,692 --> 00:07:35,803 Perhaps he has gotten bogged down into the shallow but mucky 147 00:07:35,906 --> 00:07:37,123 waters. 148 00:07:37,228 --> 00:07:39,347 Mike would have gone with the proper gear. 149 00:07:39,451 --> 00:07:42,302 In order to go duck hunting, he would have had to worn 150 00:07:42,406 --> 00:07:45,118 waders and rubber boots. 151 00:07:45,222 --> 00:07:49,290 And if one was to be in shallow water, they could easily sink. 152 00:07:49,394 --> 00:07:53,182 And the waders themselves would pull somebody 153 00:07:53,287 --> 00:07:55,999 down below the water's surface. 154 00:07:56,103 --> 00:07:58,674 And that was the big concern. 155 00:07:58,779 --> 00:08:01,491 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After searching all afternoon, 156 00:08:01,595 --> 00:08:04,235 there is still no sign of Mike. 157 00:08:04,341 --> 00:08:08,442 But there's no doubt he was there earlier. 158 00:08:08,546 --> 00:08:11,467 Friends see Mike's truck near a remote boat 159 00:08:11,571 --> 00:08:13,345 launch on the Florida side. 160 00:08:13,448 --> 00:08:18,140 Meanwhile, a helicopter pilot spots the boat floating. 161 00:08:18,245 --> 00:08:22,555 And then, law enforcement finds his shotgun in the boat. 162 00:08:22,660 --> 00:08:24,710 So they're assuming something happened to him. 163 00:08:24,815 --> 00:08:25,754 Maybe he drowned. 164 00:08:28,604 --> 00:08:32,636 Mike was last seen in what is known as Stump Lake. 165 00:08:32,740 --> 00:08:34,443 Body of water at the deepest area 166 00:08:34,547 --> 00:08:41,083 is 8 feet, sometimes 6 feet, and other times very shallow. 167 00:08:41,186 --> 00:08:44,523 It's called stump lake because there were a lot of trees 168 00:08:44,628 --> 00:08:46,541 that grew out of this lake. 169 00:08:46,645 --> 00:08:49,529 There were a lot of rotted trees that had fallen 170 00:08:49,634 --> 00:08:51,615 and the only thing left for the stumps. 171 00:08:51,719 --> 00:08:56,724 But they would be either hidden just below the water's surface 172 00:08:56,829 --> 00:09:01,001 or sticking up just above. 173 00:09:01,105 --> 00:09:03,295 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After days of searching 174 00:09:03,399 --> 00:09:08,162 and still no sign of Mike, everyone understandably 175 00:09:08,265 --> 00:09:10,212 starts fearing the worst. 176 00:09:13,550 --> 00:09:17,894 I would submit that everyone who was involved in the search 177 00:09:17,999 --> 00:09:21,578 for Mike Williams, with the exception of maybe one 178 00:09:21,682 --> 00:09:25,750 or two very, very optimistic, very, very hopeful people, 179 00:09:25,854 --> 00:09:27,593 believed that probably after four 180 00:09:27,697 --> 00:09:32,112 or five days that there was not going to be a likely recovery. 181 00:09:32,216 --> 00:09:33,711 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After a week, 182 00:09:33,815 --> 00:09:37,987 it started to look more and more like Mike must have drowned. 183 00:09:38,090 --> 00:09:40,628 So case closed, right? 184 00:09:40,732 --> 00:09:41,602 Wrong. 185 00:09:41,706 --> 00:09:43,756 Because according to investigators 186 00:09:43,861 --> 00:09:47,059 there are still a lot of unanswered questions. 187 00:09:47,163 --> 00:09:49,041 If he had drowned, where's his body? 188 00:09:49,145 --> 00:09:51,856 Because normally in this area it would have floated up. 189 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,506 And that hasn't happened and days go by. 190 00:09:55,610 --> 00:09:58,009 And so since he's not-- 191 00:09:58,113 --> 00:09:59,851 there's no body you have to wonder, 192 00:09:59,955 --> 00:10:01,103 well, what could have happened? 193 00:10:01,207 --> 00:10:03,605 And you start ticking off the questions. 194 00:10:03,709 --> 00:10:05,518 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: One of those questions 195 00:10:05,622 --> 00:10:08,437 is why, after 10 days of searching, 196 00:10:08,541 --> 00:10:11,983 Mike's camouflage hat is discovered 197 00:10:12,087 --> 00:10:14,035 floating on the lake. 198 00:10:16,571 --> 00:10:18,101 This was important because it led 199 00:10:18,206 --> 00:10:22,203 the researchers to believe that they didn't think might drown. 200 00:10:22,307 --> 00:10:26,859 Because the hat wasn't located in particularly 201 00:10:26,964 --> 00:10:32,422 deep waters or just floating in a huge body of water. 202 00:10:32,526 --> 00:10:35,515 This would be an area that they should have found 203 00:10:35,620 --> 00:10:37,567 a body along with that hat. 204 00:10:37,672 --> 00:10:40,555 The body should have risen to the top. 205 00:10:40,659 --> 00:10:43,754 It wasn't a deep body of water. 206 00:10:43,858 --> 00:10:45,561 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Finding Mike's hat 207 00:10:45,665 --> 00:10:48,795 leads investigators to believe there may be a reason 208 00:10:48,898 --> 00:10:51,679 why his body hasn't been found. 209 00:10:51,783 --> 00:10:55,955 So all I remember was it was a hunter who went missing. 210 00:10:56,060 --> 00:10:58,631 And the rumors or the newspaper had started 211 00:10:58,735 --> 00:11:00,752 suggesting that it might have been alligators 212 00:11:00,857 --> 00:11:03,811 or something like that. 213 00:11:03,916 --> 00:11:06,418 Seminole Lake has some of the biggest 214 00:11:06,522 --> 00:11:08,051 alligators in the state. 215 00:11:08,156 --> 00:11:11,702 They grow to between 13, 14 feet at max 216 00:11:11,806 --> 00:11:13,371 and there's some very old ones there. 217 00:11:13,476 --> 00:11:17,020 And they get up to 1,000 pounds. 218 00:11:17,124 --> 00:11:19,836 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Pretty soon, the search for Mike's 219 00:11:19,941 --> 00:11:22,686 body is called off, which makes sense 220 00:11:22,790 --> 00:11:25,711 because whether he was eaten by an alligator or not, 221 00:11:25,815 --> 00:11:30,577 it doesn't look like his body is going to show up any time soon. 222 00:11:30,681 --> 00:11:36,521 Either way, by February 2001, Denise is ready to move on. 223 00:11:36,626 --> 00:11:41,388 Denise has really kept a low profile during the search. 224 00:11:41,492 --> 00:11:43,265 This has been covered by news media, 225 00:11:43,369 --> 00:11:45,280 but Denise isn't talking to anybody. 226 00:11:45,385 --> 00:11:48,375 She's the grieving widow. 227 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:51,467 When the search gets called off, she accepts 228 00:11:51,572 --> 00:11:54,076 the fact that Mike has drowned. 229 00:11:54,179 --> 00:11:56,787 That Mike somehow has died. 230 00:11:56,891 --> 00:12:00,889 And so she calls for a memorial service 231 00:12:00,994 --> 00:12:04,852 to honor her now deceased husband. 232 00:12:04,956 --> 00:12:08,640 I think many in law enforcement and many friends 233 00:12:08,744 --> 00:12:11,317 and family of Denise, unfortunately, 234 00:12:11,421 --> 00:12:13,993 probably believed that he had passed away. 235 00:12:14,097 --> 00:12:17,052 And that's why there were so many people at the service. 236 00:12:17,156 --> 00:12:20,702 Most, if not all of them had come to the conclusion 237 00:12:20,806 --> 00:12:23,691 that Mike Williams was not coming back from Lake Seminole. 238 00:12:26,751 --> 00:12:29,183 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: In June, six months 239 00:12:29,288 --> 00:12:32,764 after first disappearing, a local fishermen 240 00:12:32,868 --> 00:12:36,379 finds Mike's waders out on the lake, which 241 00:12:36,484 --> 00:12:39,856 leads many to conclude that Mike did, in fact, 242 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:42,463 meet an alligatory demise. 243 00:12:42,567 --> 00:12:45,764 There were no teeth marks on the victim's clothing. 244 00:12:45,868 --> 00:12:48,789 But an alligator or any crocodilian 245 00:12:48,893 --> 00:12:50,840 doesn't have to leave a tooth somewhere 246 00:12:50,944 --> 00:12:52,821 in order to kill a person. 247 00:12:52,926 --> 00:12:54,351 They actually have a very sensitive 248 00:12:54,455 --> 00:12:55,984 bite force when they want to. 249 00:12:56,088 --> 00:12:56,992 The pick up their hatchlings. 250 00:12:57,097 --> 00:12:58,487 They pick up things generally. 251 00:12:58,591 --> 00:13:01,651 They grab something very gently in some cases 252 00:13:01,756 --> 00:13:06,621 and sink it and drown it and can leave not even on the person. 253 00:13:06,725 --> 00:13:08,707 Yeah, it's very possible. 254 00:13:08,811 --> 00:13:10,932 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Thinking that Mike's waders might be 255 00:13:11,036 --> 00:13:14,060 a sign his body is nearby, police divers 256 00:13:14,164 --> 00:13:16,077 begin searching the area. 257 00:13:16,180 --> 00:13:17,849 Everyone hopes finding Mike's body 258 00:13:17,954 --> 00:13:22,716 will finally bring some closure, especially Denise. 259 00:13:22,820 --> 00:13:27,095 And this allows her to collect on their life insurance policy. 260 00:13:27,199 --> 00:13:30,850 And Denise then will collect more than 1 261 00:13:30,955 --> 00:13:32,414 and 1/2 million dollars. 262 00:13:53,722 --> 00:13:55,392 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After Mike Williams's waders 263 00:13:55,496 --> 00:13:58,589 are found floating on the surface of Lake Seminole, 264 00:13:58,693 --> 00:14:03,038 police divers are called in to search for his body. 265 00:14:03,142 --> 00:14:06,306 They end up uncovering Mike's jacket, hunting license, 266 00:14:06,410 --> 00:14:08,774 and flashlight, but no Mike. 267 00:14:08,877 --> 00:14:11,728 But Mike's wife, Denise, is ready to move on. 268 00:14:11,833 --> 00:14:14,891 And successfully petitions for Mike to be declared 269 00:14:14,995 --> 00:14:19,690 dead, which according to veteran homicide detective Brian 270 00:14:19,794 --> 00:14:23,338 Harris, is her first mistake. 271 00:14:23,442 --> 00:14:26,258 The mere fact that they found those items, 272 00:14:26,362 --> 00:14:31,124 it should have generated a murder investigation where more 273 00:14:31,230 --> 00:14:33,802 work should have been done. 274 00:14:33,905 --> 00:14:36,549 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But while Denise appears 275 00:14:36,652 --> 00:14:39,050 to have come to terms with Mike's death, 276 00:14:39,155 --> 00:14:43,292 Mike's mother Cheryl isn't ready to call it quits yet. 277 00:14:43,397 --> 00:14:47,428 Mike's mother, she's not accepting this. 278 00:14:47,533 --> 00:14:50,973 She's not ready to believe that her son is dead. 279 00:14:51,077 --> 00:14:53,371 There are too many questions. 280 00:14:53,476 --> 00:14:55,806 Too many suspicious things. 281 00:14:55,910 --> 00:14:57,265 This just doesn't make sense. 282 00:14:57,369 --> 00:14:58,516 She's not letting go. 283 00:14:58,622 --> 00:15:00,672 She's not giving up on her son. 284 00:15:00,776 --> 00:15:03,557 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Cheryl starts putting up billboards 285 00:15:03,661 --> 00:15:07,381 and handing out flyers asking the public for help 286 00:15:07,485 --> 00:15:09,709 looking for her missing son. 287 00:15:09,815 --> 00:15:14,367 She is not ready to leave any stone unturned, 288 00:15:14,472 --> 00:15:17,044 even when it comes to her daughter-in-law. 289 00:15:17,148 --> 00:15:22,015 Ever since Cheryl Williams began, essentially, 290 00:15:22,119 --> 00:15:25,247 what I call her crusade, Denise Williams 291 00:15:25,352 --> 00:15:28,167 has been vilified by certain parts 292 00:15:28,271 --> 00:15:31,122 of the Tallahassee community. 293 00:15:31,226 --> 00:15:32,825 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: By this point, 294 00:15:32,929 --> 00:15:35,641 rumors are spreading like wildfire. 295 00:15:35,746 --> 00:15:39,500 Everyone is questioning whether Dennis is really the grieving 296 00:15:39,604 --> 00:15:43,497 widow she appears to be, but a gossip seems to be 297 00:15:43,602 --> 00:15:46,347 the least of Denise's worries. 298 00:15:46,452 --> 00:15:48,678 Denise was still a stay at home mom. 299 00:15:48,782 --> 00:15:50,797 She had an infant daughter. 300 00:15:50,901 --> 00:15:53,682 She had no ready source of income. 301 00:15:53,786 --> 00:15:56,776 So she needed to do things to take care of the bills that 302 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:00,669 were starting to mount up in terms of her home, vehicle, 303 00:16:00,774 --> 00:16:02,407 insurance, other things. 304 00:16:02,511 --> 00:16:04,353 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Lucky for Denise, 305 00:16:04,458 --> 00:16:07,239 she knows just the way to get her hands 306 00:16:07,343 --> 00:16:09,880 on a whole bunch of money. 307 00:16:09,984 --> 00:16:11,584 She has filed a petition to have 308 00:16:11,688 --> 00:16:13,706 Mike declared legally dead. 309 00:16:13,809 --> 00:16:16,312 A county judge grants it. 310 00:16:16,416 --> 00:16:19,024 And this allows her to move forward 311 00:16:19,128 --> 00:16:21,838 with getting the money from that life insurance policy. 312 00:16:21,943 --> 00:16:27,991 And Denise collects more than 1 and 1/2 million dollars. 313 00:16:28,095 --> 00:16:29,730 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Right around the time 314 00:16:29,834 --> 00:16:33,309 Denise cashes the check on Mike's life insurance, 315 00:16:33,413 --> 00:16:36,542 her friends discover that she actually 316 00:16:36,647 --> 00:16:39,045 filed the claim less than three weeks 317 00:16:39,149 --> 00:16:42,139 after Mike first disappeared. 318 00:16:42,244 --> 00:16:45,511 For someone to file for insurance when you haven't 319 00:16:45,615 --> 00:16:48,813 even recovered a body within 19 days 320 00:16:48,917 --> 00:16:50,516 would seem suspicious to me. 321 00:16:53,088 --> 00:16:54,897 From an outside view it may seem suspicious. 322 00:16:55,001 --> 00:16:57,851 But one of the things that everyone needs to remember 323 00:16:57,955 --> 00:17:02,266 is that the person who was in charge of handling 324 00:17:02,370 --> 00:17:05,151 their insurance affairs for both Mike and Denise 325 00:17:05,254 --> 00:17:07,515 was the Winchester group. 326 00:17:07,619 --> 00:17:09,148 And that was the insurance company 327 00:17:09,252 --> 00:17:11,582 that was run by Marcus Winchester, who 328 00:17:11,686 --> 00:17:13,910 was Brian Winchester's father. 329 00:17:14,014 --> 00:17:15,509 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: No surprise. 330 00:17:15,614 --> 00:17:19,508 Mike's mother Cheryl thinks the whole thing is pretty fishy 331 00:17:19,612 --> 00:17:22,914 and pushes to reopen the investigation. 332 00:17:23,018 --> 00:17:24,304 She is relentless. 333 00:17:24,408 --> 00:17:26,667 She never gives up on her son. 334 00:17:26,771 --> 00:17:30,318 In 2004, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement 335 00:17:30,422 --> 00:17:34,211 reopens the investigation into Mike's disappearance. 336 00:17:34,316 --> 00:17:37,964 Because now, they have enough evidence to say, 337 00:17:38,068 --> 00:17:39,529 this doesn't make sense. 338 00:17:39,634 --> 00:17:42,796 They look back and they say, hold on, none of it adds up. 339 00:17:42,901 --> 00:17:44,395 No body floating up. 340 00:17:44,499 --> 00:17:48,254 No teeth marks on everything that came to the surface. 341 00:17:48,358 --> 00:17:49,887 Something's wrong here. 342 00:17:49,991 --> 00:17:55,173 So Cheryl has finally been heard and the case is reopened. 343 00:17:55,276 --> 00:17:56,979 None of it made sense. 344 00:17:57,083 --> 00:18:00,038 The gas tank and the boat is completely full. 345 00:18:00,142 --> 00:18:03,445 The location where the boat is-- by this time, Mike's own mother 346 00:18:03,548 --> 00:18:07,789 has done her own research about wind speed and currents 347 00:18:07,893 --> 00:18:10,953 at the time that Mike went missing. 348 00:18:11,057 --> 00:18:14,012 None of this added up to her. 349 00:18:14,116 --> 00:18:15,506 She wasn't buying it. 350 00:18:15,611 --> 00:18:18,044 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Cheryl's persistence pays off 351 00:18:18,149 --> 00:18:20,964 and the new investigation starts finding holes 352 00:18:21,068 --> 00:18:23,467 in the original alligator theory. 353 00:18:23,571 --> 00:18:27,047 If someone had fallen off a boat and they drowned, 354 00:18:27,151 --> 00:18:28,369 a lot of other things are going to eat 355 00:18:28,473 --> 00:18:29,932 them long before an alligator touches them. 356 00:18:30,037 --> 00:18:31,809 They're going to have-- 357 00:18:31,913 --> 00:18:33,165 this part of the United States, they're 358 00:18:33,270 --> 00:18:34,764 going to have crawdads on them, they're going 359 00:18:34,869 --> 00:18:35,946 to have turtles eating them. 360 00:18:36,050 --> 00:18:37,510 A lot of the things are going to be 361 00:18:37,615 --> 00:18:39,005 cleaning that up before an alligator even thinks about it. 362 00:18:39,109 --> 00:18:40,291 That's not their food supply. 363 00:18:40,396 --> 00:18:41,647 It's not what they're looking for. 364 00:18:41,751 --> 00:18:44,358 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But wait, there's more. 365 00:18:44,462 --> 00:18:46,618 Alligators, in essence, amongst 366 00:18:46,722 --> 00:18:49,955 hibernate in the winter time. 367 00:18:50,059 --> 00:18:55,794 The temperatures were cool, in the 50s, very damp. 368 00:18:55,898 --> 00:18:59,027 When the temperatures are in that kind of setting, 369 00:18:59,131 --> 00:19:00,766 alligators are not feeding. 370 00:19:00,870 --> 00:19:06,884 This was not feeding season for alligators. 371 00:19:06,988 --> 00:19:10,498 And they want to be 88 and 1/2 degrees, optimally, 372 00:19:10,602 --> 00:19:12,794 to be able to feed and digest their food. 373 00:19:12,898 --> 00:19:14,460 When they're not that temperature, 374 00:19:14,564 --> 00:19:16,094 everything kind of changes. 375 00:19:16,199 --> 00:19:17,415 They will slow down their feeding. 376 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:19,223 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Even though it's 377 00:19:19,329 --> 00:19:22,803 starting to look more and more like Mike Williams wasn't eaten 378 00:19:22,907 --> 00:19:27,148 by alligators, investigators still can't figure out 379 00:19:27,253 --> 00:19:28,991 what happened to him. 380 00:19:29,096 --> 00:19:32,641 But while Mike's mother Cheryl refuses to give up 381 00:19:32,745 --> 00:19:35,317 looking for answers, Denise Williams 382 00:19:35,421 --> 00:19:37,647 is moving on with her life. 383 00:19:37,751 --> 00:19:40,532 And right there with her as Mike's former best 384 00:19:40,636 --> 00:19:42,792 friend, Brian Winchester. 385 00:19:42,896 --> 00:19:48,110 We still don't know where Mike is, how he died, did he die. 386 00:19:48,214 --> 00:19:50,125 But five years have passed now. 387 00:19:50,230 --> 00:19:52,455 He's been declared officially dead. 388 00:19:52,559 --> 00:19:58,017 And Denise and Brian get married and they move in together 389 00:19:58,121 --> 00:20:00,658 into the same home that Mike and Denise 390 00:20:00,763 --> 00:20:03,056 had shared in Tallahassee. 391 00:20:03,161 --> 00:20:04,899 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: By now, the rumor mill 392 00:20:05,003 --> 00:20:06,464 is going into overdrive. 393 00:20:06,568 --> 00:20:09,523 Almost everybody is wondering the same thing. 394 00:20:09,627 --> 00:20:14,980 Did Denise and Brian's affair start before Mike went missing? 395 00:20:15,085 --> 00:20:17,587 The idea that Brian Winchester and Denise Williams 396 00:20:17,691 --> 00:20:20,194 had an affair is essentially that urban legend 397 00:20:20,298 --> 00:20:22,871 that develops from the fact that, yes, Denise Williams did 398 00:20:22,975 --> 00:20:25,546 marry Brian Winchester many, many years 399 00:20:25,651 --> 00:20:27,320 after Mike's disappearance. 400 00:20:27,424 --> 00:20:30,067 People presume that because they got married, 401 00:20:30,171 --> 00:20:32,151 they must have had a relationship 402 00:20:32,256 --> 00:20:33,334 prior to Mike's disappearance. 403 00:20:33,438 --> 00:20:36,358 And that's simply not true. 404 00:20:36,462 --> 00:20:38,860 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: In 2007, Cheryl's 405 00:20:38,966 --> 00:20:42,476 reopened an investigation into Mike's disappearance starts 406 00:20:42,581 --> 00:20:43,935 to lose steam. 407 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,856 You're working up an investigation with no body. 408 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:49,150 And that can be very difficult because the body 409 00:20:49,254 --> 00:20:50,887 itself can tell a story. 410 00:20:50,992 --> 00:20:53,599 It's a body of evidence. 411 00:20:53,704 --> 00:20:57,492 And this was the challenge for law enforcement. 412 00:20:57,596 --> 00:21:01,178 And as a result, you don't get as many resources thrown 413 00:21:01,281 --> 00:21:03,541 in on a missing person case. 414 00:21:03,645 --> 00:21:05,105 And hence was the case. 415 00:21:05,209 --> 00:21:07,365 There's no crime scene documentary. 416 00:21:07,468 --> 00:21:09,172 There's no preservation of evidence. 417 00:21:09,276 --> 00:21:12,997 There's no preserving the items that were recovered. 418 00:21:13,101 --> 00:21:17,202 And so, in essence, the case goes cold. 419 00:21:17,306 --> 00:21:20,643 It goes dormant. 420 00:21:20,746 --> 00:21:23,285 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But then, a few months later, 421 00:21:23,390 --> 00:21:27,318 Mike's brother Nick gets in contact with the police. 422 00:21:27,422 --> 00:21:30,446 It seems that one of Mike's guns, 423 00:21:30,550 --> 00:21:33,643 a 22 caliber Ruger pistol that Mike 424 00:21:33,747 --> 00:21:37,640 had inherited from their father, had gone missing. 425 00:21:37,745 --> 00:21:43,133 By 2007, Mike's family they're wondering, 426 00:21:43,239 --> 00:21:48,139 Dennis has returned all of Mike's original weapons. 427 00:21:48,244 --> 00:21:50,085 All of these guns and whatever he 428 00:21:50,190 --> 00:21:53,423 had hunting-wise to his family. 429 00:21:53,527 --> 00:21:55,752 It's part of their legacy. 430 00:21:55,856 --> 00:21:59,194 But they're missing a weapon, a 22. 431 00:21:59,298 --> 00:22:01,035 And through the help of the local sheriff 432 00:22:01,139 --> 00:22:03,851 and a court order, they're able to obtain 433 00:22:03,955 --> 00:22:05,693 that gun back from Denise. 434 00:22:05,798 --> 00:22:07,154 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: At this point, 435 00:22:07,258 --> 00:22:11,011 it's seven years since Mike Williams first vanished. 436 00:22:11,116 --> 00:22:13,445 Detectives are ready to throw in the towel. 437 00:22:13,548 --> 00:22:16,782 But Cheryl isn't willing to give up the fight. 438 00:22:16,886 --> 00:22:21,267 This lady with herself, made fliers, put them on light poles 439 00:22:21,371 --> 00:22:22,448 in Tallahassee. 440 00:22:22,552 --> 00:22:23,909 She had a picket sign that she stood 441 00:22:24,013 --> 00:22:27,246 out in front of the church that the Winchester's-- 442 00:22:27,350 --> 00:22:29,227 Brian and Denise attended. 443 00:22:29,331 --> 00:22:30,513 She got funding. 444 00:22:30,617 --> 00:22:34,928 She had big billboards erected around Tallahassee. 445 00:22:35,032 --> 00:22:36,457 Have you see my son? 446 00:22:36,562 --> 00:22:38,299 She took out ads in the paper. 447 00:22:38,403 --> 00:22:39,933 I mean, she never stopped. 448 00:22:40,037 --> 00:22:44,486 She wrote about 9,000 letters to the governor of the state. 449 00:22:44,591 --> 00:22:45,564 She kept it public. 450 00:22:45,668 --> 00:22:47,650 She never let it die. 451 00:22:47,754 --> 00:22:49,735 Not one of them was opened. 452 00:22:49,839 --> 00:22:51,264 Not one of them. 453 00:22:51,369 --> 00:22:52,794 They were just tossed aside. 454 00:22:52,898 --> 00:22:55,262 It's a closed case. 455 00:22:55,365 --> 00:22:56,687 Not my job. 456 00:22:56,791 --> 00:22:59,642 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Finally, when it seemed like all was 457 00:22:59,747 --> 00:23:03,918 lost, Cheryl found someone who'd actually listen 458 00:23:04,022 --> 00:23:08,923 and that was the beginning of the end for Denise Williams. 459 00:23:09,028 --> 00:23:12,261 The authorities released a three page indictment. 460 00:23:12,365 --> 00:23:16,362 And it spells out what they believe happened. 461 00:23:16,467 --> 00:23:20,568 Something out of a bad Saturday evening movie. 462 00:23:36,177 --> 00:23:38,504 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Eight years after Mike Williams was 463 00:23:38,608 --> 00:23:42,816 supposedly eaten by alligators while duck hunting, Mike's 464 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:45,457 mother Cheryl convinces a Jackson County sheriff's 465 00:23:45,561 --> 00:23:48,865 detective named Derrick Wester that there are too 466 00:23:48,969 --> 00:23:53,209 many questions surrounding Mike's strange and sudden 467 00:23:53,314 --> 00:23:54,740 disappearance. 468 00:23:54,844 --> 00:23:58,145 Once I had an opportunity to have a discussion 469 00:23:58,249 --> 00:23:59,605 with Miss Williams-- 470 00:23:59,709 --> 00:24:02,907 Miss Cheryl Williams, which was Mike's mother, some 471 00:24:03,012 --> 00:24:05,201 of the things that she brought up kind of just 472 00:24:05,306 --> 00:24:07,843 made you want to look into it more. 473 00:24:07,947 --> 00:24:11,389 You know want to just track down this and this 474 00:24:11,493 --> 00:24:14,725 to appease this grieving mother. 475 00:24:14,830 --> 00:24:18,202 And then, it just kind of just snowballed into maybe 476 00:24:18,307 --> 00:24:20,635 there really was something happened here. 477 00:24:20,739 --> 00:24:23,138 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After taking a look into Mike's life 478 00:24:23,242 --> 00:24:27,727 insurance arrangements, Wester discovered there were actually 479 00:24:27,831 --> 00:24:31,758 three policies, one of which had been taken out just 480 00:24:31,862 --> 00:24:33,878 months before he went missing. 481 00:24:33,983 --> 00:24:36,243 And all that money was bankrolling Denise 482 00:24:36,348 --> 00:24:39,370 and Brian's lavish lifestyle. 483 00:24:39,476 --> 00:24:41,735 And I was having discussions with some other investigators 484 00:24:41,839 --> 00:24:46,706 about whether or not he actually had applied for the insurance 485 00:24:46,810 --> 00:24:49,834 policy that the Winchester Financial Group had wrote 486 00:24:49,939 --> 00:24:50,842 for him. 487 00:24:50,947 --> 00:24:54,041 And Brian Winchester was the agent. 488 00:24:54,145 --> 00:24:57,759 But I had needed Mike Williams' picture for something. 489 00:24:57,864 --> 00:25:00,471 So I had his stuff laid on my desk 490 00:25:00,576 --> 00:25:03,287 and I pulled up the application for his insurance-- 491 00:25:03,391 --> 00:25:04,677 his life insurance. 492 00:25:04,781 --> 00:25:06,312 And I pulled out the driver's license number 493 00:25:06,416 --> 00:25:07,909 and typed it into the computer so I can get 494 00:25:08,015 --> 00:25:09,230 his driver's license picture. 495 00:25:09,335 --> 00:25:12,047 And when I typed the number in, it popped up 496 00:25:12,151 --> 00:25:14,444 Denise Williams' picture. 497 00:25:14,548 --> 00:25:15,661 I was like, well, how is this? 498 00:25:15,765 --> 00:25:19,069 I mean, she's not the applicant. 499 00:25:19,173 --> 00:25:20,702 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: All of this 500 00:25:20,806 --> 00:25:24,805 has Detective Wester starting to suspect Mike's policy has been 501 00:25:24,909 --> 00:25:27,376 changed after he disappeared. 502 00:25:27,481 --> 00:25:31,303 Did Brian Winchester go and do that using the him and Denise's 503 00:25:31,408 --> 00:25:32,869 knowledge and information. 504 00:25:32,973 --> 00:25:35,301 And then, when they just need a driver's license number, 505 00:25:35,407 --> 00:25:36,622 yeah, I will speculate, he's said, 506 00:25:36,727 --> 00:25:38,221 well, we just need a number. 507 00:25:38,325 --> 00:25:42,323 And so she pulled hers out and they copied the number down. 508 00:25:42,428 --> 00:25:45,208 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But there was still more. 509 00:25:45,313 --> 00:25:48,408 He had a different policy in between the time 510 00:25:48,512 --> 00:25:52,543 he went missing and the time she filed for presumptive death 511 00:25:52,647 --> 00:25:53,621 certificate. 512 00:25:53,726 --> 00:25:55,533 We had to check that she had wrote 513 00:25:55,637 --> 00:26:01,824 and signed to pay the premium during that six month period. 514 00:26:01,928 --> 00:26:03,771 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Naturally, Wester 515 00:26:03,876 --> 00:26:07,281 began to wonder just when Denise and Brian's relationship 516 00:26:07,386 --> 00:26:08,915 had actually started. 517 00:26:11,662 --> 00:26:15,276 There was no evidence that suggested that the-- 518 00:26:15,380 --> 00:26:16,841 Denise Williams and Brian Winchester 519 00:26:16,946 --> 00:26:18,440 were having an affair. 520 00:26:18,545 --> 00:26:20,108 They were in close proximity to each other. 521 00:26:20,212 --> 00:26:21,742 All of them were. 522 00:26:21,846 --> 00:26:25,566 Kathy Thomas and Mike Williams and Brian Winchester and Denise 523 00:26:25,670 --> 00:26:28,277 Williams would go out socially. 524 00:26:28,381 --> 00:26:31,059 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Police records, on the other hand, 525 00:26:31,162 --> 00:26:34,048 told a totally different story. 526 00:26:34,152 --> 00:26:36,273 One night the Tallahassee police department 527 00:26:36,377 --> 00:26:38,949 had called in a abandoned vehicle 528 00:26:39,053 --> 00:26:41,452 at a church down the road from Denise 529 00:26:41,555 --> 00:26:43,363 and Mike Williams' house. 530 00:26:43,467 --> 00:26:44,684 They were still married at the time. 531 00:26:44,788 --> 00:26:47,049 The truck was registered to Brian Winchester. 532 00:26:47,152 --> 00:26:50,698 They looked up the contact number for the owners, 533 00:26:50,803 --> 00:26:52,228 they called Brian Winchester's house. 534 00:26:52,332 --> 00:26:55,946 And Kathy Winchester, at that time, answered the phone. 535 00:26:56,051 --> 00:26:57,512 Well, she thought that her husband 536 00:26:57,616 --> 00:27:04,011 was duck hunting in Arkansas or somewhere out of town. 537 00:27:04,115 --> 00:27:07,279 So she called Brian's father. 538 00:27:07,383 --> 00:27:09,433 And by the time the father got over there, 539 00:27:09,538 --> 00:27:12,737 the vehicle had already been gone. 540 00:27:12,841 --> 00:27:15,344 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: You'd think after all 541 00:27:15,448 --> 00:27:19,097 that Denise and Brian had gone through by that point they'd 542 00:27:19,201 --> 00:27:21,287 be able to get over anything. 543 00:27:21,392 --> 00:27:24,208 But seven years after getting married, 544 00:27:24,312 --> 00:27:28,240 their relationship was on the rocks. 545 00:27:28,345 --> 00:27:34,531 By 2012, this happy couple, Denise and Brian, not so happy 546 00:27:34,636 --> 00:27:35,852 anymore. 547 00:27:35,957 --> 00:27:38,946 Apparently, Brian has a little sex addiction problem. 548 00:27:39,051 --> 00:27:41,866 And that's enough for Denise to say, I'm out of here. 549 00:27:41,971 --> 00:27:45,690 So Denise decides she's getting out of the marriage 550 00:27:45,794 --> 00:27:48,297 and she and Brian separate. 551 00:27:48,401 --> 00:27:50,452 And so he's no longer with Denise, 552 00:27:50,556 --> 00:27:53,059 but he still loves her very much. 553 00:27:53,164 --> 00:27:56,397 He still is so attached to Denise. 554 00:27:56,500 --> 00:27:59,733 That's the love of his life, or at least in his mind. 555 00:27:59,838 --> 00:28:04,670 By 2016, the marriage is going to end. 556 00:28:04,774 --> 00:28:06,061 They were separated. 557 00:28:06,165 --> 00:28:08,528 Some periods of getting back together. 558 00:28:08,632 --> 00:28:10,128 But Denise has had enough. 559 00:28:10,232 --> 00:28:14,645 She has now filed for divorce. 560 00:28:14,749 --> 00:28:19,338 In August of 2016, something kind of bizarre happens. 561 00:28:19,442 --> 00:28:21,598 Denise is driving on her way to her job 562 00:28:21,702 --> 00:28:23,823 at Florida State University when all 563 00:28:23,927 --> 00:28:30,741 of a sudden Brian Springs from the backseat and basically 564 00:28:30,845 --> 00:28:32,685 attacks her. 565 00:28:32,791 --> 00:28:35,050 He starts shouting demands at her. 566 00:28:35,156 --> 00:28:38,178 Something out of a bad Saturday evening movie. 567 00:28:38,283 --> 00:28:42,838 He pops up from behind the seat and he kidnaps her. 568 00:28:42,942 --> 00:28:45,027 And he holds a weapon to her. 569 00:28:45,131 --> 00:28:50,275 And he's pleading for her to keep their marriage together. 570 00:28:50,380 --> 00:28:53,092 And then, she's trying to calm him down. 571 00:28:53,196 --> 00:28:56,845 And he's basically sort of delirious and he's angry 572 00:28:56,949 --> 00:28:58,723 and he's desperate. 573 00:28:58,827 --> 00:29:00,981 And he says, look, I'm not going to kill you. 574 00:29:01,086 --> 00:29:02,511 But I don't have anything to live for. 575 00:29:02,615 --> 00:29:03,798 I don't want this divorce. 576 00:29:03,902 --> 00:29:04,979 I don't want this divorce. 577 00:29:05,084 --> 00:29:06,579 But if you want a divorce, I just 578 00:29:06,683 --> 00:29:08,837 don't have any reason to live and I'm going to kill myself. 579 00:29:08,942 --> 00:29:10,193 And she calms him down. 580 00:29:10,297 --> 00:29:12,384 She says, please, Brian, just calm down. 581 00:29:12,488 --> 00:29:13,321 Just calm down. 582 00:29:13,426 --> 00:29:14,294 You'll be OK. 583 00:29:14,398 --> 00:29:15,929 Everything will be fine. 584 00:29:16,033 --> 00:29:19,649 So she calms him down, she takes him back to his vehicle, 585 00:29:19,753 --> 00:29:22,325 she promises him she won't talk to the police. 586 00:29:22,430 --> 00:29:23,403 Just calm down, Brian. 587 00:29:23,508 --> 00:29:25,141 Everything will be OK. 588 00:29:25,245 --> 00:29:27,818 And when she leaves him, she goes straight to the police 589 00:29:27,922 --> 00:29:30,356 and she tells them what happened. 590 00:29:30,460 --> 00:29:34,178 And when they did eventually apprehend him for that, 591 00:29:34,283 --> 00:29:38,211 he had a tarp and he had bottles of bleach 592 00:29:38,315 --> 00:29:40,470 and he had other items in his truck 593 00:29:40,576 --> 00:29:42,834 that suggested that he was probably going to kill 594 00:29:42,938 --> 00:29:46,971 and bury Denise Williams. 595 00:29:47,075 --> 00:29:49,716 Brian is charged with kidnapping, 596 00:29:49,821 --> 00:29:54,201 domestic assault, and burglary. 597 00:29:54,305 --> 00:29:56,878 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: So after all of that, now 598 00:29:56,982 --> 00:29:59,937 that Brian and Denise are getting divorced, 599 00:30:00,042 --> 00:30:01,778 that's the end, right? 600 00:30:01,882 --> 00:30:02,753 Wrong. 601 00:30:02,856 --> 00:30:04,386 There's a law that says spouses 602 00:30:04,490 --> 00:30:07,653 cannot be compelled to testify. 603 00:30:07,757 --> 00:30:10,086 But these guys are getting divorced. 604 00:30:10,191 --> 00:30:13,389 Now there's a criminal case against Brian. 605 00:30:13,493 --> 00:30:16,274 Someone's going to sing. 606 00:30:16,378 --> 00:30:20,062 This premise of husband and wife privilege 607 00:30:20,167 --> 00:30:23,157 was very beneficial to Denise initially. 608 00:30:23,262 --> 00:30:27,328 She knew that Brian would never say anything against her 609 00:30:27,433 --> 00:30:31,012 and vise versa because they were in on it. 610 00:30:31,117 --> 00:30:33,619 They were co-conspirators in this death. 611 00:30:33,723 --> 00:30:35,184 They were in on it. 612 00:30:35,289 --> 00:30:39,320 And so by both of their actions, their silence was sealed. 613 00:30:39,424 --> 00:30:41,128 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: With their marriage over all 614 00:30:41,232 --> 00:30:44,013 of a sudden, Brian's ready to strike a deal 615 00:30:44,118 --> 00:30:46,237 with the prosecutors who want to throw 616 00:30:46,342 --> 00:30:50,513 him in jail for kidnapping Denise at gunpoint. 617 00:30:50,617 --> 00:30:55,553 And all he has to do is lead them to Mike Williams' body. 618 00:30:55,658 --> 00:30:57,326 Florida law enforcement officials 619 00:30:57,430 --> 00:30:58,856 hold a news conference. 620 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:01,323 The reporters are all there with their cameras set up. 621 00:31:01,427 --> 00:31:04,452 And they announce after all of these years-- 622 00:31:04,556 --> 00:31:11,023 17 years Mike Williams body has been found. 623 00:31:13,665 --> 00:31:15,923 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: In return for finally giving up 624 00:31:16,028 --> 00:31:19,677 the goods, Brian Winchester gets himself off the hook 625 00:31:19,782 --> 00:31:22,772 for kidnapping his ex-wife. 626 00:31:22,877 --> 00:31:25,482 Brian Winchester got the deal of the century. 627 00:31:25,587 --> 00:31:30,211 Brian Winchester was facing life in prison for kidnapping 628 00:31:30,315 --> 00:31:32,574 Denise Williams at gunpoint. 629 00:31:32,678 --> 00:31:37,509 He was two to three months away from going to a trial. 630 00:31:37,614 --> 00:31:42,551 Brian Winchester had been in jail for almost a year-- 631 00:31:42,655 --> 00:31:44,288 a little over a year. 632 00:31:44,393 --> 00:31:47,312 And when faced with the prospect of having to go to trial, 633 00:31:47,418 --> 00:31:50,546 looking at life in prison, he approaches 634 00:31:50,650 --> 00:31:56,559 the state attorney's office and offers to tell them a story. 635 00:31:56,664 --> 00:31:59,966 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: 17 years after Mike Williams vanished 636 00:32:00,070 --> 00:32:03,685 without a trace, Denise Williams is formally charged 637 00:32:03,789 --> 00:32:05,319 with killing her husband. 638 00:32:05,423 --> 00:32:07,891 And according to Brian Winchester, 639 00:32:07,995 --> 00:32:11,055 she's the one who planned his murder 640 00:32:11,159 --> 00:32:13,939 down to the very last detail. 641 00:32:14,043 --> 00:32:16,199 Brian is the star witness. 642 00:32:16,303 --> 00:32:20,335 And he says, yes, I pulled the trigger. 643 00:32:20,439 --> 00:32:23,220 But Denise was the mastermind. 644 00:32:43,660 --> 00:32:48,492 In May of 2018, Denise Williams is leaving her job 645 00:32:48,597 --> 00:32:49,743 at Florida State University. 646 00:32:49,847 --> 00:32:51,691 She's on her way to go find her daughter 647 00:32:51,795 --> 00:32:53,603 and celebrate her birthday. 648 00:32:53,706 --> 00:32:57,426 Well, police show up and handcuff her 649 00:32:57,530 --> 00:32:58,643 and take her into custody. 650 00:32:58,747 --> 00:33:00,901 Denise is under arrest for the murder 651 00:33:01,006 --> 00:33:03,092 of her husband Mike Williams. 652 00:33:07,228 --> 00:33:09,313 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: For Mike's family and friends, 653 00:33:09,418 --> 00:33:14,424 really, the entire city of Tallahassee Denise's indictment 654 00:33:14,527 --> 00:33:18,353 marks the end of a 17-year-old mystery. 655 00:33:18,457 --> 00:33:20,437 The courtroom was kind of like a little circus. 656 00:33:20,541 --> 00:33:23,218 I mean, essentially, everybody in town 657 00:33:23,322 --> 00:33:25,548 had thought Denise Williams was guilty for years 658 00:33:25,651 --> 00:33:27,389 and years and years. 659 00:33:27,493 --> 00:33:29,267 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: It seemed like everyone 660 00:33:29,371 --> 00:33:33,404 showed up to watch Denise finally face justice. 661 00:33:33,508 --> 00:33:36,567 Ironically, some people believed that she 662 00:33:36,672 --> 00:33:40,634 was actually the victim of a grave injustice. 663 00:33:40,738 --> 00:33:43,657 Because while Denise was facing life in prison, 664 00:33:43,761 --> 00:33:48,872 Brian only received a relatively light sentence for kidnapping 665 00:33:48,976 --> 00:33:53,287 and wasn't charged at all for the killing of his old friend. 666 00:33:53,390 --> 00:33:55,685 He knows where the body is buried because he 667 00:33:55,789 --> 00:33:57,561 killed Mike Williams. 668 00:33:57,665 --> 00:34:02,497 By offering the body and by then adding a little extra, which 669 00:34:02,603 --> 00:34:04,480 is you can go after Denise Williams, 670 00:34:04,583 --> 00:34:06,878 I'll make up a story for you. 671 00:34:06,982 --> 00:34:09,798 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: But Denise seemed to be completely 672 00:34:09,903 --> 00:34:12,162 relaxed during the trial. 673 00:34:12,266 --> 00:34:14,525 She was very, very, very, I don't know, 674 00:34:14,629 --> 00:34:17,028 cold but not responsive. 675 00:34:17,132 --> 00:34:18,592 Kind of almost robotic. 676 00:34:18,696 --> 00:34:22,382 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Denise insisted she was innocent. 677 00:34:22,486 --> 00:34:25,231 Her lawyer claimed she had always believed Mike 678 00:34:25,335 --> 00:34:28,325 had died in a tragic accident. 679 00:34:28,430 --> 00:34:30,654 But the cops know all the details. 680 00:34:30,759 --> 00:34:31,906 They know all the information. 681 00:34:32,010 --> 00:34:34,721 They know where the bones were buried. 682 00:34:34,826 --> 00:34:36,980 They know the details and the motive 683 00:34:37,084 --> 00:34:39,553 and the why this has happened. 684 00:34:39,657 --> 00:34:41,883 Somebody talked. 685 00:34:41,986 --> 00:34:45,427 Somebody laid out the plan. 686 00:34:45,532 --> 00:34:47,687 This was a plan laying in wait. 687 00:34:47,791 --> 00:34:54,431 And 17 years later, it all came unraveled. 688 00:34:54,535 --> 00:34:56,063 I mean, they turned on each other. 689 00:34:56,169 --> 00:34:58,602 Ultimately, bottom line is that those two turned on each other 690 00:34:58,706 --> 00:35:00,617 in the end. 691 00:35:00,722 --> 00:35:02,461 And it's a direct result of Cheryl 692 00:35:02,565 --> 00:35:04,442 Williams' one woman army. 693 00:35:07,953 --> 00:35:10,317 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: In detailed testimony, 694 00:35:10,421 --> 00:35:12,923 Brian gave up the goods. 695 00:35:13,027 --> 00:35:16,609 So Brian says he and Denise start having an affair. 696 00:35:16,712 --> 00:35:20,918 And that affair started three years before Mike disappeared. 697 00:35:21,023 --> 00:35:23,074 Three years before he was killed. 698 00:35:23,178 --> 00:35:25,924 And in that time, they're thinking, 699 00:35:26,029 --> 00:35:27,663 how can we be together? 700 00:35:27,767 --> 00:35:32,076 Because see, Denise's family doesn't believe in divorce. 701 00:35:32,180 --> 00:35:34,162 And so Denise was like, you know, I can't really do this. 702 00:35:34,267 --> 00:35:36,388 So how are we going to be together? 703 00:35:36,492 --> 00:35:38,299 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: For three years, 704 00:35:38,403 --> 00:35:40,141 they'd planned a secret rendezvous 705 00:35:40,246 --> 00:35:42,644 in back seats and hotel rooms. 706 00:35:42,748 --> 00:35:45,147 On double dates with their spouses 707 00:35:45,251 --> 00:35:49,736 they'd still away kisses when Mike and Kathy weren't looking. 708 00:35:49,840 --> 00:35:53,316 Nine months before Mike Williams disappeared, 709 00:35:53,420 --> 00:35:58,599 Denise and Brian started hatching their plan. 710 00:35:58,703 --> 00:36:02,284 They conspired to kill Mike Williams. 711 00:36:04,857 --> 00:36:08,645 She wanted Brian to kill his wife 712 00:36:08,749 --> 00:36:13,025 and help her kill Mike, her husband. 713 00:36:13,129 --> 00:36:19,768 But an ironic twist, if you can say Brian has principles, 714 00:36:19,872 --> 00:36:22,724 Brian told Denise, I can't do that 715 00:36:22,828 --> 00:36:25,226 to the mother of my children. 716 00:36:25,330 --> 00:36:28,668 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: The morning of December 16, 2000, 717 00:36:28,772 --> 00:36:31,795 Mike Williams didn't go to the lake alone. 718 00:36:31,899 --> 00:36:35,829 As best we can gather and from what Brian Winchester testified 719 00:36:35,933 --> 00:36:40,869 to, he had made arrangements with Mike Williams 720 00:36:40,973 --> 00:36:44,553 on the evening of December 15, 2000, 721 00:36:44,657 --> 00:36:48,239 to go hunting with Mike out at Lake Seminole. 722 00:36:48,342 --> 00:36:50,462 No one knew that Brian Winchester 723 00:36:50,567 --> 00:36:53,903 and Mike Williams were going to be hunting together. 724 00:36:54,009 --> 00:36:55,502 Mike's mom is right all along. 725 00:36:55,606 --> 00:36:57,867 Mike would not go out hunting alone. 726 00:36:57,971 --> 00:36:59,118 He had a buddy. 727 00:36:59,224 --> 00:37:00,266 And his buddy was Brian. 728 00:37:00,371 --> 00:37:02,038 It was going to be Brian and Mike. 729 00:37:02,142 --> 00:37:06,001 They're going to do a little duck hunting. 730 00:37:06,106 --> 00:37:08,677 He stated that he had met Mike Williams over here 731 00:37:08,781 --> 00:37:12,814 in Jackson County at the boat ramp. 732 00:37:12,918 --> 00:37:14,065 They had launched the boat. 733 00:37:14,169 --> 00:37:16,533 It was a little 15-foot [inaudible] 734 00:37:16,637 --> 00:37:19,974 with a GO-DEVIL motor on the back. 735 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:23,938 According to Brian Winchester, who's really the only person 736 00:37:24,042 --> 00:37:29,117 who knows what happened, he and Mike got in a small boat 737 00:37:29,221 --> 00:37:31,237 and pushed off from a landing. 738 00:37:31,341 --> 00:37:36,035 They weren't on the water very long before Brian Winchester 739 00:37:36,139 --> 00:37:38,641 adjusted the boat in such a way that Mike 740 00:37:38,745 --> 00:37:40,484 Williams fell overboard. 741 00:37:40,588 --> 00:37:44,759 As Mike Williams made his way to a Cyprus stump. 742 00:37:44,864 --> 00:37:48,340 Mike Williams had stood up in the boat. 743 00:37:48,444 --> 00:37:51,120 Brian Winchester pushed him out. 744 00:37:51,224 --> 00:37:53,797 They were dressed in a duck hunting gear, 745 00:37:53,901 --> 00:37:56,961 which included a set of waders. 746 00:37:57,065 --> 00:38:00,263 And it was Brian Winchester's thought and anticipation 747 00:38:00,368 --> 00:38:02,035 that he would fall into the water 748 00:38:02,139 --> 00:38:04,225 and the waders would fill up with water 749 00:38:04,330 --> 00:38:08,605 and he would get to the bottom and drown. 750 00:38:08,710 --> 00:38:10,273 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Brian's plan didn't 751 00:38:10,378 --> 00:38:12,429 work out the way he thought. 752 00:38:12,533 --> 00:38:17,399 And a big reason why is because Mike had practiced taking 753 00:38:17,504 --> 00:38:19,172 off his waders underwater. 754 00:38:19,276 --> 00:38:22,787 So he was able to keep his head above the surface. 755 00:38:22,892 --> 00:38:26,403 It's not called Stump Field or Stump Lake for nothing. 756 00:38:26,507 --> 00:38:30,122 Mike was able to when he was tossed out of the boat grab 757 00:38:30,227 --> 00:38:32,763 on to a stump. 758 00:38:32,868 --> 00:38:35,824 He was able to tread water, so to speak. 759 00:38:35,928 --> 00:38:39,507 Stay above water and he began hollering and yelling for help. 760 00:38:39,612 --> 00:38:42,289 And Brian Winchester freaked out. 761 00:38:42,392 --> 00:38:44,374 He didn't know else to do. 762 00:38:44,479 --> 00:38:48,338 Brian Winchester circle around him approximately three times. 763 00:38:48,441 --> 00:38:52,299 And then, while looking directly at Mike Williams, 764 00:38:52,404 --> 00:38:55,637 he shot him in the face with a 12 gauge shotgun 765 00:38:55,741 --> 00:39:00,122 at a distance of less than three feet. 766 00:39:00,226 --> 00:39:02,415 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Shooting Mike in the face 767 00:39:02,519 --> 00:39:04,570 wasn't exactly part of the plan to make 768 00:39:04,675 --> 00:39:06,204 it look like a drowning. 769 00:39:06,309 --> 00:39:10,271 A gunshot wound meant he'd have to cover his tracks. 770 00:39:10,375 --> 00:39:12,877 He drug him back up to the hill, 771 00:39:12,981 --> 00:39:15,451 he'd backed his vehicle down here, 772 00:39:15,555 --> 00:39:19,587 and loaded him up into the back of his vehicle. 773 00:39:19,691 --> 00:39:22,229 He then took the boat and drove it 774 00:39:22,334 --> 00:39:24,349 around to where it was found. 775 00:39:24,452 --> 00:39:26,540 Then he walked to the shore, walked down 776 00:39:26,644 --> 00:39:30,155 the road back to his truck, and then drove back to Tallahassee. 777 00:39:30,259 --> 00:39:31,580 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Brian knew 778 00:39:31,684 --> 00:39:33,422 that he'd be looking for Mike's body 779 00:39:33,526 --> 00:39:38,045 so he made sure they wouldn't look in the right place. 780 00:39:38,149 --> 00:39:41,800 In the afternoon, he took the body to Kerr Lake 781 00:39:41,905 --> 00:39:48,300 and buried it in a shallow grave next to the waterside. 782 00:39:48,403 --> 00:39:50,559 Brian is the star witness. 783 00:39:50,663 --> 00:39:56,294 And he says, yes, I pulled the trigger but Denise 784 00:39:56,398 --> 00:39:57,823 was the mastermind. 785 00:39:57,929 --> 00:40:01,230 Denise was the one who came up with the idea. 786 00:40:01,335 --> 00:40:04,324 It was all about Denise. 787 00:40:04,428 --> 00:40:06,409 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After 17 years 788 00:40:06,514 --> 00:40:11,103 of lies, when justice finally came for Denise Williams, 789 00:40:11,207 --> 00:40:12,736 it came fast. 790 00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:17,012 Brian's story is very likely and the jury believed so, too. 791 00:40:17,116 --> 00:40:22,539 And Denise Williams is convicted on all charges. 792 00:40:22,643 --> 00:40:27,232 Conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact. 793 00:40:27,336 --> 00:40:31,055 And she's sentenced to life in prison. 794 00:40:31,159 --> 00:40:33,489 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Denise Williams' lawyer believes 795 00:40:33,593 --> 00:40:37,347 Brian Winchester got away with murder by being given 796 00:40:37,451 --> 00:40:40,963 the opportunity to incriminate his ex-wife 797 00:40:41,067 --> 00:40:45,933 in return for revealing where he'd hidden Mike's body. 798 00:40:46,037 --> 00:40:48,019 One of the things he said on the stand 799 00:40:48,124 --> 00:40:51,599 was that Denise Williams wasn't on the lake that day 800 00:40:51,703 --> 00:40:55,075 when he killed Mike Williams, but she was in his head. 801 00:40:55,179 --> 00:40:56,674 I mean, if you kill somebody and you 802 00:40:56,778 --> 00:41:01,192 bury them in a shallow grave, you know where the body is. 803 00:41:01,297 --> 00:41:05,017 And obviously, the government wanted the body. 804 00:41:05,121 --> 00:41:08,631 And Brian Winchester was the only person who knew where 805 00:41:08,737 --> 00:41:10,266 Mike Williams remains were. 806 00:41:10,371 --> 00:41:14,889 And so he turned that into you know the key component 807 00:41:14,993 --> 00:41:16,696 of the deal of the century. 808 00:41:16,801 --> 00:41:22,536 I'd asked to Brian Winchester received immunity, this case 809 00:41:22,641 --> 00:41:24,518 in-- 810 00:41:24,622 --> 00:41:25,873 wouldn't be solved. 811 00:41:25,977 --> 00:41:28,967 Mike Williams' remains wouldn't have been found 812 00:41:29,071 --> 00:41:32,374 and Cheryl Williams wouldn't have got closure. 813 00:41:32,478 --> 00:41:35,259 So I think that it's a decision that a prosecutor 814 00:41:35,363 --> 00:41:40,404 has to make daily about you know what you have to give to get. 815 00:41:40,508 --> 00:41:42,524 To me, it's the case that's the biggest 816 00:41:42,628 --> 00:41:46,766 tragedy of my career in terms of an innocent person being 817 00:41:46,870 --> 00:41:47,739 convicted. 818 00:41:47,843 --> 00:41:50,588 It's not the most salacious case. 819 00:41:50,693 --> 00:41:52,014 It's not the most violent case. 820 00:41:52,118 --> 00:41:54,829 It's not the most complicated case. 821 00:41:54,934 --> 00:41:58,096 But it is a case where you're left at this position 822 00:41:58,201 --> 00:42:01,747 that the essential mob mentality in the community-based 823 00:42:01,851 --> 00:42:07,065 perception was more of a factor than the actual trial itself. 824 00:42:07,169 --> 00:42:08,733 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: For planning and cashing 825 00:42:08,838 --> 00:42:11,689 in on her husband's murder, Denise Williams 826 00:42:11,794 --> 00:42:15,512 is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility 827 00:42:15,616 --> 00:42:16,938 of parole. 828 00:42:17,042 --> 00:42:20,205 Any way you cut it, the murder of Mike Williams 829 00:42:20,308 --> 00:42:23,194 is a tragic story and a chilling reminder 830 00:42:23,298 --> 00:42:26,148 that the person most likely to kill you 831 00:42:26,253 --> 00:42:28,443 may be the person you married. 832 00:42:28,548 --> 00:42:30,528 Denise Williams is a cold calculating woman. 833 00:42:30,632 --> 00:42:33,518 Was very manipulative of the men in her life. 834 00:42:33,623 --> 00:42:36,056 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: I'm Michelle Trachtenberg. 835 00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:42,278 And I'll see you next time on Meet, Mary, Murder. 836 00:42:42,382 --> 00:42:46,519 [music playing]