The Florida Supreme Court issued a per curiam ruling on March 10, 2026, affirming the death sentence of Michael L. King and denying his request for a stay of execution. King, who was convicted of the 2008 kidnapping, sexual battery, and murder of Denise Amber Lee, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on March 17, 2026.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant on February 13, triggering a series of last-minute legal challenges from King’s defense team.
In his final appeal, King’s attorneys argued that the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) had mismanaged lethal injection protocols in previous executions and sought access to internal records they claimed would prove a lack of consistency in how the state administers the death penalty.
Court Rejects Protocol Challenges
King’s legal team pointed to records from recent executions, specifically those of Frank Walls, Ronald Heath, and Melvin Trotter. They alleged that redacted logs suggested the state had used lower doses of execution drugs than required by the official protocol.
The Supreme Court rejected this argument, stating that the defense’s claims were based on speculation. The justices noted that inventory logs showing when drugs are withdrawn do not necessarily reflect the exact amounts administered to an inmate. Furthermore, the court held that even if minor variations in drug quantities occurred, they did not constitute a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection or due process clauses.
The ruling clarified that the primary drug in the protocol, etomidate, is designed to render the inmate unconscious before other drugs are administered, mitigating the risk of pain or suffering.
“Newly Discovered Evidence” Deemed Untimely
King also attempted to block the execution by presenting what his lawyers termed “newly discovered evidence” regarding his character. This included letters from friends and spiritual advisors intended to show that King is a “man with humanity” and that his life has value.
The court dismissed this claim as both untimely and procedurally barred. The justices noted that the relationships with these individuals had existed for years and could have been presented long before the death warrant was signed. They also stated that the facts of the 2008 crime—which involved the abduction of Lee from her home while she was caring for her two young children—remained “especially aggravated.”
Case History and Aggravating Factors
Denise Amber Lee was kidnapped on January 17, 2008. During the four-hour ordeal, she managed to call 911 from King’s phone, and a witness also reported seeing her struggling in King’s car. Her body was recovered two days later at a construction site; she had been raped and shot in the head. DNA evidence and items found in King’s Camaro and home linked him directly to the crime.
In the original sentencing, the trial court found four statutory aggravating factors that outweighed the mitigating circumstances, including the “heinous, atrocious, or cruel” nature of the murder and the fact that it was “cold, calculated, and premeditated.”
With the Supreme Court’s mandate issued immediately and no motions for rehearing allowed, the state is set to proceed with the execution at 6:00 p.m. on March 17.
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