CLOSE She is being held without bond in the Leon County jail Tallahassee Democrat 
 
 Buy Photo Brian Winchester sits in a Leon County courtroom as he enters into a plea agreement for armed burglary and kidnapping his estranged wife Denise Winchester at gunpoint last year. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)Buy Photo 
 
 9:45 a.m. update 
 
 Denise Williams' attorney, Ethan Way of Tallahassee, said her ex-husband Brian Winchester is lying about her participation in a plot to kill Mike Williams more than 17 years ago. 
 
 Buy Photo Assistant State Attorney Jon Fuchs, left, and defense attorney Ethan Way speak prior to first appearance for Denise Williams. Way represents Williams, who is charged with the murder of her slain husband Mike Williams in 2000. (Photo: Karl Etters/Democrat) 
 
 "My client had absolutely nothing to do with Mike Williams' disappearance and had absolutely nothing to do with any of the crimes that Brian Winchester committed," Way said. "We will fight this until the end. And I'm certain when a jury hears from Denise Williams and the facts come out, the inescapable conclusion is that Brian Winchester killed Mike Williams." 
 
 Winchester is serving a 20-year prison sentence for kidnapping Denise Williams at gunpoint in 2016. According to court records, he did so out of desperation she would tell investigators what really happened to Mike Williams, who went missing in 2000 and was initially thought to have drowned in Lake Seminole in Jackson County. 
 
 Buy Photo Denise Williams appears by teleconference before Leon County Judge Nina Ashenafi Richardson Wendesday. Williams is being held without bond on charges she murdered her slain husband Mike Williams in 2000. (Photo: Karl Etters/Democrat) 
 
 A day after Winchester was sentenced last year, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement held a news conference announcing Williams' body had been found and he had been murdered. 
 
 "It’s not even flipping," Way said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. "It is fiction. I mean it’s just made up. It’s Brian Winchester making up a story to try to either reduce his 20-year sentence or avoid getting even more time.” 
 
 Check back with Tallahassee.com for more on this story. 
 
 9:25 a.m. update 
 
 Denise Williams made her first court appearance this morning, the day after a Leon County grand jury indicted her on a first-degree murder charge in the 2000 killing of her husband, Mike Williams. 
 
 Denise Williams, appearing via closed-circuit TV in front of County Judge Nina Ashenafi Richardson. She said virtually nothing, just answered the judge's procedural questions with a single word. 
 
 Richardson opted to keep Williams in the Leon County Detention Center without bail. Assistant State Attorney Jon Fuchs opposed bail; Williams' lawyer, Ethan Way, has filed a motion seeking bail, which will be heard by Leon Circuit Judge James Hankinson later this month. 
 
 Check back with Tallahassee.com for more on this story. 
 
 Morning update 
 
 Denise Williams and Brian Winchester conspired for nearly nine months to kill Mike Williams — her husband and his best friend — before finally springing their deadly trap on Dec. 16, 2000, at Lake Seminole in Jackson County, according to a charging document obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat. 
 
 Winchester pulled the trigger, shooting and killing the 31-year-old real estate appraiser, according to a Leon County grand jury indictment charging Denise Williams with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and accessory after the fact. 
 
 The documents offer the first look at how Mike Williams was killed and accuses his wife and best friend of hatching the murder plot. 
 
 Williams, 48, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at her office at Florida State University, minutes after the indictment was issued. 
 
 CLOSE Denise Williams being taken away from work at FSU. She is charged with the murder of her slain husband Mike Williams. Karl Etters, Democrat staff writer 
 
 Winchester, 47, married Williams after the killing and is serving a 20-year prison sentence for kidnapping her at gunpoint in 2016 as the alleged murder plot unraveled. He has not been indicted, charged or arrested in connection with Mike’s murder. 
 
 State Attorney Jack Campbell said Tuesday charging any other suspects “depends on where the evidence and the investigation goes.” 
 
 Winchester’s defense lawyer, Tim Jansen, said he does not anticipate his client will be charged in Mike’s murder, but if given immunity and subpoenaed, will testify truthfully. 
 
 Denise Williams' mug shot. (Photo: Leon County Detention Center) 
 
 The homicide was first purported to be a terrible accident. Mike, on a solo duck hunting trip the morning before he was to celebrate his sixth wedding anniversary in Apalachicola, fell from his boat and tragically drowned. Maybe his body was eaten by alligators. That was the story. 
 
 Bombshell breaking news: 
 
 Though Mike's body was the only one never to be recovered from the lake, his wife convinced a county judge in fewer than six months to declare him accidentally dead, allowing her to collect $1.75 million in life insurance. One of the policies was written by Winchester six months before Mike was killed. 
 
 By 2005, Williams and Winchester were married. 
 
 The grand jury named Williams a “principal” in the murder of her high school sweetheart and father to their only child. In its accessory indictment, grand jurors said she actively covered up the crime between Aug. 1, 2014, and Dec. 19, 2017. 
 
 Dec. 19 was the day Winchester was sentenced for kidnapping her at gunpoint. At the hearing, Williams begged the judge to send him to prison for life. 
 
 During the time of the grand jury’s alleged cover-up, the marital union between Williams and Winchester was eroding. She’d filed for divorce. He hid in the back of her car, surprising her on the way to work with a gun stuck in her ribs. He wanted to talk. 
 
 Court documents in the kidnapping case indicated he abducted her because she would no longer return his calls. He was afraid once the divorce was final she’d squeal to the police and tell them what really happened to Mike. 
 
 On Dec. 20, the day after Winchester was given 20 years, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement made the stunning announcement Mike’s body had been found and he’d been murdered. He’d been buried at the dead end of Gardner Road, less than five miles from where he grew up off Bull Headley Road. 
 
 Winchester currently is being held at the state’s Wakulla Correctional Institute until July 30, 2036. 
 
 Williams will attend her first court appearance this morning on a video conference call from the county jail. Prosecutors will oppose any effort for bail. 
 
 Check back for updates. 
 
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 By: Alicia Turner | WCTV Eyewitness News 
 
 May 9, 2018 
 
 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) -- Denise Williams made her first court appearance via video link from the jail Wednesday morning. She was denied bond and will remain in jail to await trial. 
 
 Williams was indicted Tuesday in the 2000 murder of her then husband Mike Williams, who vanished during a duck hunting trip on Lake Seminole. 
 
 The indictment accused her and her ex-husband Brian Winchester of plotting the murder over nine months. 
 
 We spoke with Mike Williams' mother, Cheryl Williams Wednesday morning. 
 
 "I am still in shock by everything that has happened," Cheryl Williams said. "I want any and everyone involved in Mike's death held responsible. I was keeping hope that he was alive all these years, now I want to know what happened." 
 
 The indictment says Winchester shot and killed Mike Williams in Jackson County. His body was found in Tallahassee in December 2017. FDLE announced the discovery of his remains soon after Winchester was sent to prison in a separate case for kidnapping Denise Williams at gunpoint. 
 
 Florida's Chief Financial Officer announced Wednesday morning that he is launching a fraud investigation to see if Williams' death was part of a scheme to profit from a multi-million dollar life insurance policy. 
 
 By: WCTV Eyewitness News 
 
 May 8, 2018 
 
 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) -- The widow of Mike Williams, the Tallahassee man who disappeared during a hunting trip in 2000 and was later found dead, has been charged with his murder. 
 
 The Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirms that Denise Williams was taken into custody at 4:10 p.m. Tuesday on first degree murder charges. 
 
 State Attorney Jack Campbell confirms that Williams was indicted on three counts: Conspiracy to commit murder, first degree murder and accessory after the fact. Campbell would not comment on how Williams planned or committed the murder or any specifics of what she is accused of doing afterward. 
 
 The indictment unsealed Tuesday night says Denise Williams conspired with Brian Winchester to kill Mike Williams and indicates Mike Williams was shot and killed in Jackson County. 
 
 "I am surprised the grand jury indicted her," said Denise Williams' attorney Ethan Way. "There's been a drum beat against her for years, but she has nothing to do with Mike Williams' death. We will be mounting a vigorous defense and we are going to fight this," Way said. 
 
 Mike Williams was last seen alive on December 16, 2000. The 31-year-old left his home in Tallahassee to go duck hunting on Lake Seminole in Jackson County and never returned. 
 
 In December 2017, FDLE announced that Williams' remains had been found at the dead end of Gardner Road in Leon County. Investigators also announced that his death had been ruled a homicide. 
 
 The announcement about Williams' remains came one day after Williams' friend, Brian Winchester, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping his estranged wife, Denise, who also happened to be Mike Williams' widow. 
 
 "It's very coincidental that Brian Winchester gets sentenced to 20 years in prison and now they miraculously find Mike Williams' body and now they're indicting Denise Williams," her attorney, Ethan Way said. 'Let's not forget she is the victim of a kidnapping." 
 
 Brian Winchester's attorney Tim Jansen says, "We don't anticipate him being charged. If he's subpoenaed or granted immunity, he will cooperate and testify truthfully at any hearing." 
 
 Jansen would not comment on whether Winchester was involved in the murder plot. 
 
 FDLE has sent a statement to WCTV, which reads in full: 
 
 "FDLE agents and analysts have logged over 3,000 hours on this case and FDLE crime scene scientists have spent countless hours analyzing evidence. I want to thank our investigators and State Attorney Jack Campbell’s Office who have worked so hard on this case. I also thank the Grand Jury." 
 
 Denise Williams is the first suspect to be charged in Mike Williams' murder. 
 
 The state attorney says currently no one else is charged in Williams' murder and "they will continue to follow the evidence." 
 
 Clay Ketcham used to work with Mike Williams. He's had a candle in his office window since Williams' body was found. 
 
 "This is a great day as hopefully we can start on the final chapter," Ketcham said about Tuesday's indictment. "Now they can bring justice to Mike Williams and his family. Mike was a great guy and I miss him every day. And I want those responsible held accountable." 
 
 Denise Williams will make her first appearance in court Wednesday morning. 

 CLOSE Ethan Way, Denise Williams' criminal defense attorney, says she's innocent in the murder of Mike Williams. Jennifer Portman, News Director 
 
 Buy Photo Denise Williams appears by teleconference before Leon County Judge Nina Ashenafi Richardson Wendesday. Williams is being held without bond on charges she murdered her slain husband Mike Williams in 2000. (Photo: Karl Etters/Democrat)Buy Photo 
 
 Denise Williams and Brian Winchester conspired for nearly nine months to murder her husband and his best friend, Mike Williams, a Leon County grand jury concluded. 
 
 Winchester pulled the trigger on the gun that killed the 31-year-old real estate appraiser on Dec. 16, 2000, the jurors found. Denise Williams helped plan the killing at Lake Seminole in Jackson County that morning, they said, and actively worked for years to cover up the crime. 
 
 The new details in the 17-year-old mystery were revealed in court documents charging Denise Williams with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and accessory after the fact. She was arrested Tuesday afternoon at her office at Florida State University, minutes after the indictment was issued and is being kept in jail without bail. 
 
 But her Tallahassee criminal defense lawyer, Ethan Way, said the grand jury, which heard only what prosecutors wanted it to know, indicted the wrong person. 
 
 'Nothing to do' with death, disappearance 
 
 Denise Williams is innocent, he said. 
 
 "My client had absolutely nothing to do with Mike Williams' disappearance and had absolutely nothing to do with any of the crimes that Brian Winchester committed," Way said after her brief first court appearance Wednesday. "We will fight this until the end. And I'm certain when a jury hears from Denise Williams and the facts come out, the inescapable conclusion is that Brian Winchester killed Mike Williams." 
 
 Buy Photo Brian Winchester Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017 at a Leon County Courthouse, where he was sentenced to 20 years on charges of armed burglary and kidnapping of his estranged wife, Denise Winchester, at gunpoint in 2016. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat) 
 
 Winchester married Denise Williams, who he has known since preschool, five years after Mike’s killing. He is serving a 20-year prison sentence for kidnapping her at gunpoint in 2016 as the alleged murder plot – and their marriage – unraveled. 
 
 “Mr. Winchester was sentenced to prison, went to prison, he’s in prison, and now six months or so after he got into the Florida Department of Corrections, lo and behold there is a story that conveniently closes a 17-year-old mystery about something nefarious that happened involving a gun,” Way told the Tallahassee Democrat. “And that statement is made by a man who is in prison for committing a violent offense with a gun.” 
 
 Though he is accused of doing the shooting, Winchester has not been indicted, charged or arrested in connection with Mike’s murder, and his attorney does not anticipate he will be. State Attorney Jack Campbell said Tuesday a decision to press charges against anyone else would be based on “where the evidence and the investigation goes.” 
 
 (Story continues below) 
 
 Bombshell breaking news: 
 
 Winchester's fate 
 
 Assistant State Attorney Jon Fuchs, the lead prosecutor on the case, said Wednesday he had “no comment at this time” on why Winchester has not been charged. 
 
 Fuchs dismissed Way’s assertion that Winchester lied about Denise Williams’ involvement in the murder to benefit or protect himself. 
 
 “Mr. Way hasn’t started the discovery process so he’s not aware of what evidence the state has,” Fuchs said. “So I think any comment at this point on what evidence we do or do not have is premature to say the least.” 
 
 Winchester likely testified to the grand jury on Tuesday before it leveled criminal charges against his ex-wife, Way said, based on records that show for a time that day he was checked out of the Wakulla Correctional Institution. Denise Williams was not called to present her side of the story to the secret panel, Way added, nor has she been directly questioned by law enforcement about her husband’s homicide in years. 
 
 "It’s not even flipping. It’s fiction," Way said of Winchester’s assumed testimony. "It’s just made up. It’s Brian Winchester making up a story to try to either reduce his 20-year sentence or avoid getting even more time.” 
 
 Fuchs said his case is solid. 
 
 “We had a jury of (her) peers review the probable cause as well as all the facts of the case, listen to testimony yesterday and return a true bill for indictment. And there is evidence of their guilt,” he said. 
 
 A disappearance and a marriage 
 
 Mike Williams' was first thought to be the victim of a terrible accident. On a solo duck hunting trip the morning before he was to celebrate his sixth wedding anniversary with a romantic night in Apalachicola, fell from his boat and tragically drowned. Maybe his body was eaten by alligators. That was the story. 
 
 CLOSE Brian Winchester and His Estranged Wife Share their Stories 
 
 Though Mike's body was the only one never to be recovered from the lake, Denise Williams, convinced a county judge in fewer than six months to declare her husband accidentally dead, allowing her to collect $1.75 million in life insurance. One of the policies was written by Winchester six months before Mike was killed. 
 
 By 2005, Denise Williams and Winchester were married. 
 
 The marital union deteriorates 
 
 The grand jury named Denise Williams a “principal” in the murder of her high school sweetheart and father to their only child. In her indictment for being an accessory after the fact, grand jurors said she actively covered up the crime between Aug. 1, 2014, and Dec. 19, 2017. 
 
 Dec. 19 was the day Winchester was sentenced for kidnapping her at gunpoint. At the hearing, Williams begged the judge to send him to prison for life. 
 
 During the time of the alleged cover-up, the marital union between Williams and Winchester was failing. She’d filed for divorce. He hid in the back of her car, surprising her on the way to work with a gun stuck in her ribs. He wanted to talk. 
 
 Court documents in the kidnapping case indicated he abducted her because she would no longer return his calls. He was afraid once the divorce was final she’d go to the police and tell them what really happened to Mike. 
 
 The body discovered 
 
 On Dec. 20, the day after Winchester was sent to prison, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement made the stunning announcement Mike’s body had been found and he’d been murdered. He’d been buried all along at the dead end of Gardner Road, less than five miles from where he grew up off Bull Headley Road. 
 
 Less than six months later, FDLE made its first and so far, only arrest in the Mike Williams case. 
 
 Denise Williams appeared before County Judge Nina Ashenafi Richardson on closed-circuit TV from the Leon County Detention Facility in red and white striped jail garb. She said virtually nothing, just answered the judge's procedural questions with a yes or no. 
 
 Way entered a not guilty plea and asked for a jury trial, according to court records. He plans to file a motion seeking bail, which Fuchs will oppose. 
 
 The case was assigned to Leon Circuit Judge James Hankinson, who is expected to take up the matter later this month. 
 
 Contact News Director Jennifer Portman at jportman@tallahassee.com 
 
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– "The inescapable conclusion is that Brian Winchester killed Mike Williams," said a lawyer for Williams' widow, a day after she was charged with her husband's murder. Ethan Way's statement lines up with a grand jury indictment claiming Winchester shot and killed his best friend at Florida's Lake Seminole on Dec. 16, 2000; Mike was assumed to have died in a boating accident until his body was finally found in December 2017, reports the Tallahassee Democrat. But Way's claim that Denise Williams "had absolutely nothing to do with" her husband’s death does not sync with the indictment. It alleges Denise Williams was a "principal" figure who—together with Winchester, whom she'd go on to marry—plotted her husband's death over almost nine months and covered up the crime for years after collecting $1.75 million from life insurance policies. Describing herself as "still in shock by everything that has happened," Mike's mother tells WCTV she wants "any and everyone involved in Mike's death held responsible." But Winchester—serving 20 years for kidnapping Denise in 2016 as their marriage collapsed—hasn't been charged in his friend's death, nor do his lawyers expect he will be. A state attorney says charging anyone in addition to Denise "depends on where the evidence and the investigation goes," per the Democrat. Way concludes Winchester is "making up a story to try to either reduce his 20-year sentence or avoid getting even more time." However, a prosecutor tells the Democrat that such a comment is "premature" since "Way hasn't started the discovery process" and is "not aware of what evidence the state has."