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Defense Seeks To Bar King's Remarks In North Port Slaying

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BY TODD RUGER

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: April 2, 2008

SARASOTA COUNTY — The man accused of killing Denise Lee in January made many statements after his arrest, and his lawyer wants a judge to review them before releasing them to the public.

Michael L. King, 36, exercised his right to remain silent after a state trooper pulled over his green Camaro on Interstate 75.

But later, after his arrest, he made statements to police and civilians, some of which were recorded, prosecutors said.

The contents of those statements might be exempt from laws that make the records public when prosecutors give them to defense attorneys, Assistant Public Defender John Scotese said in a motion.

Scotese cites a section of state law that says records are not public if they reveal the substance of a confession of a person arrested. The defense had not been given the records and did not know what the statements contain.

However, Assistant State Attorney Lon Arend said he did not interpret any of the statements King made as acknowledgement of a crime.

Lee, 21, was reported missing from her North Port home the afternoon of Jan. 17.

Her body was found two days later in a shallow grave six miles from her home. She left behind a husband and two young boys.

A lab has matched King's DNA to DNA found in Lee's body, according to court documents filed by the prosecution.

Although it is not clear what statements might have been recorded, King's cousin, Harold Muxlow, visited him in custody just hours after King was arrested and has said that he talked to him about Lee.

Muxlow said King insisted that he was driving in North Port on the day of Lee's kidnapping and stopped to help a driver, who pulled a gun on him.

King maintained his innocence, saying another man had abducted both King and Lee at gunpoint, Muxlow said.

Circuit Judge Deno Economou previously has denied defense motions for a 60-day delay in releasing public records.

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty against King on the murder charge, and have also filed kidnapping and sexual battery charges against King.

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