An attorney for the husband of Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old mother of two slain by a former Brandon Township resident, has announced plans to file a lawsuit against the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
Thomas Maryott said during a press conference last week that he is suing the sheriff’s office on behalf of Nathaniel Lee over their handling of a witness? 9-1-1 call relating to Denise Lee’s kidnapping. Under Florida law, 6 months notice is required before suing a government agency.
Michael Lee King, 36, a 1990 graduate of Brandon High School, has been charged with the kidnapping and killing Denise Amber Lee on Jan. 17. Both were residents of North Port, Fla.
According to North Port Police Department reports, at about 3:29 p.m. on Jan. 17, officers responded to the Lee home on the report of a missing person. Nathaniel Lee had arrived home at 3:20 p.m. to find his wife gone and their two children, a 2-year-old and 6-month-old, unattended. Denise Lee’s purse, keys, cell phone and vehicle were still at the residence.
Three subsequent 9-1-1 calls were received? one at 6:14 p.m. from Denise Lee herself; a second at 6:23 p.m., from a woman who said her father just called her and told her that his cousin, King, had just stopped by in his Camaro and a woman who was tied up had gotten out of the car; and a third at 6:30 p.m. from a witness traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 41 who was at a traffic light when she said a Camaro pulled up on the left side of her vehicle. This third caller told 9-1-1 she heard screaming and saw the driver keep pushing someone down in between the backseat of the vehicle. She also observed a woman’s hand slapping the left passenger side window hard, as if trying to get out. As they approached the intersection of US 41 and Toledo Blade Boulevard, the Camaro suddenly changed lanes and turned onto the boulevard and was last seen traveling northbound on I-75. She later identified King as the driver and his Camaro as the vehicle.
At 9:16 p.m., a trooper spotted the green Camaro and arrested King, who was alone. A wet shovel was found in the backseat, as well as a ring belonging to Denise Lee.
On Jan. 19, her body was discovered buried in a rural area off of Toledo Blade Boulevard, close to the area where King was found by the trooper. Cause of death was a gunshot wound to her head.
Bob Carpenter, public information officer for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, said the office had not received formal notice of a lawsuit and had no comment on pending litigation.