TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A sentencing date has been set for the Tallaahssee woman convicted of murdering her ex-husband nearly two decades ago.
Denise Williams, who was convicted of the murder of her ex-husband Mike Williams last week, will be sentenced on February 6 at 9 a.m.
Sentencing for Denise Williams is slated for February 6 at 9 A.M. @ABC27 #wtxlwilliams
— Jada E. Williams (@JadaEWilliams) December 18, 2018
Ethan Way, Denise's lawyer, was not in court Tuesday and neither was Denise. The state declined to comment during the hearing.
Denise has been convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory to murder, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and two counts of insurance fraud.
Mike went missing after a hunting trip on Lake Seminole in Jackson County back in 2000. His body was found last December, 17 years after his disappearance.
Williams later remarried Mike's best friend, Brian Winchester, who confessed to the murder in exchange for immunity in Mike's case.
Denise Williams trial ends, jury says guilty on all counts
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - It took jurors eight hours of deliberating to convict Denise Williams of the murder of her ex-husband Mike Williams. There was four days of testimony leading to the dramatic verdict.
Almost 18 years to the day, a 12 person jury convicted Denise Williams of the murder of her ex husband, who went missing and who's body wasn't discovered until December of 2017 near Lake Seminole.
The jury deliberation started Friday morning at 11:30 a.m.
About three hours into the deliberation the jury sent their first note to the judge they had a question. By the end of deliberation, they had asked three questions, one of which was if Denise was found guilty of count one, would she automatically be guilty of count two.
The judge reminded them that each count is a separate charge, leaving the jury to deliberate for several more hours.
Finally, at 7:30 p.m., the jury headed back into the court room to hand down the conviction. Guilty for conspiracy of first degree murder, first degree murder, and accessory after the fact.
"This is a career case. It's not everyday in your career that you get to be involved in an unsolved homicide that's 17 years old, and through team effort, able to make an arrest, and ultimately get a conviction on a 17 year old homicide," said State Attorney Jon Fuchs.
Although there were tears on both sides of the aisle, Denise Williams did not appear to show much emotion. Her attorney said that Denise is simply shocked at the outcome. Williams plans to appeal the decision.
"We submitted the case to the jury. The jury made a decision. We respect it, but we will appeal it. We will pursue all available avenues to get justice for Denise and get this matter taken care of," said Defense Attorney Ethan Way.
Case management is set for Dec.18, Williams is not required to be at that hearing, she'll stay in jail until sentencing.
