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911 Call In North Port Slaying Case Released

Family photo.

Denise Amber Lee, pictured here with her husband and one of their children, was kidnapped and killed on Jan. 17, 2008.

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By JACKIE BARRON and JOSH POLTILOVE

News Channel 8 and The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 4, 2008

Updated: 04/04/2008 07:53 pm

SARASOTA – The recording of the 911 call made by one of the last people thought to have seen a North Port mother alive was made public today.

The state attorney's office released 896 pages of documents related to the disappearance and slaying of Denise Lee in January. More records remain sealed.

One piece of evidence not released today: the 911 call Lee made from the suspect's cell phone Jan. 17. Investigators have said Michael L. King's voice can be heard in the background.

King, 36, is accused of abducting and killing the 21-year-old woman. No motive has been revealed.
Lee's body was found two days later in a shallow grave six miles from her home. She left behind a husband and two young boys.

In the 911 call released today, Jane Kowalski spoke to law enforcement after seeing a Camaro on U.S. 41. She said she saw a child in the back seat banging on the window and screaming.

"I hope they weren't just playing around," she said at the time. "To me, it sounded like the kid was frightened and panicky, and I don't know. But instead of taking the chance, I just wanted to make sure I called it in. I'd feel terrible if something would've ever …"

Kowalski declined to comment today. She referred questions to her lawyer, who could not immediately be reached.

North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis said in January that Lee's body was found just off Interstate 75 near the Toledo Blade Boulevard exit. About 300 people participated in a search for her.

Lee, whose father is a longtime officer with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, was a stay-at-home mom. Her husband, Nathaniel, a Florida Power & Light employee, came home and found the couple's children, Noah, 2, and Adam, 6 months, alone in a crib. A neighbor told police about a Camaro that had been parked in the home's driveway.

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

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

News Channel 8 reporter Jackie Barron contributed to this report.

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