Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: Mike Williams: Hungry Alligators or Cheating Wife? Who Hid Florida Hubby in Watery Grave?

Release Date: September 27, 2025

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Nancy Grace unravels the mysterious disappearance and murder of Mike Williams—a Florida husband and father whose vanishing was initially blamed on alligators, but ultimately revealed as a chilling murder-for-profit led by his wife and best friend. The episode exposes the tangled web of lies, insurance motives, and betrayal at the heart of the case, cutting through the recent sensationalized TV dramatization to reveal the tragic truth and the persistence of a mother’s search for justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Day Mike Williams Disappeared (02:06–04:51)

• Nancy sets the stage: Mike Williams vanishes while duck hunting at Lake Seminole, near Tallahassee.
  • His mother, Cheryl Williams, launches a tireless campaign for justice, refusing to believe the official "accidental drowning" finding.
  • The case gains new attention from a Hulu docuseries, but Nancy vows to reveal the unvarnished facts behind the crime.

2. The Initial Investigation & The Alligator Theory (04:25–16:39)

• Discovery of the Boat: Mike's boat is found, with his decoys and shotgun—but no Mike. (04:25–08:53)
  • Nancy: “What happened? Out duck hunting. Husband Mike Williams goes missing…But oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” (04:51)
• Friends & Family Response:
  • Mike’s wife, Denise, contacts her father to help search with Brian Winchester—Mike’s best friend and later revealed co-conspirator.
  • Initial inconsistencies in friends’ and wife’s stories arise.
  • The group discusses the implausibility and “flimsy” nature of reports that Mike “just disappeared.”
• Transition to Recovery: Grid and cadaver dog searches fail; pieces of Mike’s clothing start appearing on shore but no body. (13:27–15:54)
  • Wild theories abound: Did Mike abandon his family, or was he eaten by an alligator? (14:11)
• Cheryl Williams’s Intuition: She insists “he’s not in that lake”—her tireless advocacy drives the investigation forward.

3. The Forensic Puzzles (17:12–20:56)

• Karen Smith (Forensics Expert): Questions about the condition of the boat and clothing and the credibility of the alligator theory.
  • Explains what physical evidence should be present if an alligator attack had occurred. (17:30)
  • Clothing and boat fail to support the alligator scenario.

4. Background and Tangled Relationships (18:09–20:56)

• Mike and Denise Williams: High school sweethearts, married in 1994, part of a tight social circle including Brian Winchester and his then-wife.
  • Both couples remained close over the years, regularly socializing.

5. Insurance Motives and Legal Maneuvering (24:51–25:53)

• Life Insurance Policies: Denise quickly seeks to claim $1.75 million in life insurance before Mike is legally declared dead.
  • Her attorney pushes for an expedited death certificate by using Mike’s found clothing as proof—accepted by the court after just six months.
  • Nancy: “The wife goes broke…but then Denise, the wife, goes broke.” (24:51)
• Ashley Wilcott (Legal Analyst): Highlights the suspiciously rapid insurance claims while the search is still ongoing.

6. The Cold-Blooded Murder Plan (25:53–31:03)

• The Premeditated Crime:
  • John Laemmle (Crime Online Investigative Reporter): Reveals the plan for Winchester to stage a drowning by pushing Mike into the water, then ultimately shooting him.
  • Winchester later confesses to the plan and subsequent actions.
  • Winchester’s words: “I got him to stand up… I pushed him into the water.” (28:17)
    • When Mike began to survive, Winchester circled him and shot him dead.
  • Nancy breaks down the actions: “The guy can swim. He's an athlete... Winchester loads his gun, drives over to Mike, and shoots him multiple times. That’s what happened.” (29:56–30:41)
• Discussion on Motive: Nancy and Dr. Daniel Bober underline the universal motives in murder—money, sex, love, revenge.

7. The Love Triangle Revealed (36:56–39:24)

• The case unravels into a classic love (and money) triangle: Denise and Brian had been having an affair prior to Mike’s death.
  • They marry just 18 months later.
  • Brian Winchester was responsible for taking out two of Mike’s three life insurance policies.
  • Nancy: “Some friend…They are nothing but Satan and Beelzebub.” (02:06)
• Ashley Wilcott: “Absolutely love triangle. Not only that, but it comes out they were having an affair before…the victim was shot in the face and murdered.” (37:40)

8. The Break in the Case – Betrayal and Confession (39:32–43:13)

• Brian and Denise's Downfall:
  • Their marriage falls apart, further complicated by Brian’s “sex addiction.”
  • Brian kidnaps Denise in 2017, leading to his arrest for kidnapping and aggravated assault.
• Legal Leverage: With the marriage over, police exploit the break in spousal privilege. Brian confesses as part of a plea deal.*
  • Ashley: “He gets none [time] for killing. He got immunity…They took life in prison off the table for the kidnapping charge. He got both.” (42:33–42:50)
  • Denise is ultimately convicted of conspiracy, murder, and other charges.

9. The Mother's Relentless Quest for Justice (16:39–18:09, 32:11–32:32)

• Cheryl Williams's Decade-Long Effort: Her unwavering determination leads to the reopening of the investigation and the eventual prosecution.
  • “She wrote the governor a letter every day for nine years.” (32:11)
  • “Until God tells me in my heart that that child is dead, I cannot give up looking for him.” (32:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “Alligator Theory”:

  • “So the wife is in hysterics…Brian Winchester is the last one with him out in the middle of Lake Seminole on a boat. And then you get the final decision by the police. Well, an alligator's dismembered him and is storing him for when he gets the munchies in about six months.”
    — Nancy Grace (14:20)

• On the Suspect’s Confession:

  • “I got him to stand up, and… I pushed him into the water.”
    — Brian Winchester (28:17)

  • “I ended up shooting him. I ended up shooting him.”
    — Brian Winchester (29:56)

• On Motive:

  • “When you get right down to it…It always boils down to money, sex, love, revenge, anger. It's always one of those four.”
    — Nancy Grace (31:40)

• On Justice for Mike Williams:

  • “If it had not been for Mike Williams's mother, Cheryl, this would never have been uncovered and Denise Williams and Brian Winchester would be skipping along their merry way, laughing at not only dead Mike Williams, but everybody else, including the justice system.”
    — Nancy Grace (23:25)

• On Denise Williams’s Conviction:

  • “Denise Williams, the jury returned a verdict: guilty on all counts. A TV series glamorizing a cold-hearted killer. MIKE Williams WIFE what really happened is…his best friend who was sleeping with his wife takes Mike on a trip to Lake Seminole... They take the boat to a deep part of the lake. Winchester pushes Mike in the water with hopes he would drown. He didn't drown. He had to kill him.”
    — Nancy Grace (43:13)

Key Timestamps

• 02:06: Intro to the Williams case, Cheryl Williams’s campaign for justice
• 04:25: Early police investigation, discovery of boat
• 08:53–12:36: Questioning timeline, inconsistencies in stories
• 13:27: Search shifts from rescue to recovery; alligator theory proposed
• 16:39: Cheryl Williams’s conviction her son’s not in the lake
• 18:28: Background on Mike and Denise’s relationship
• 24:51–25:53: Denise's rapid pursuit of life insurance money
• 26:05–29:56: The actual murder plan and Winchester’s confession
• 36:56: Love triangle exposed; Winchester and Denise marry
• 39:32–43:13: Marriage falls apart; kidnapping and, finally, confession and legal consequences

The Takeaway

This episode exposes how a seemingly tragic accident—a husband vanishing while hunting—masks a cold-blooded murder perpetrated out of greed and lust. Nancy Grace highlights the perseverance of a mother determined to reveal the truth, the failures in the original investigation, and the eventual unraveling of the plot due to human frailty and persistence. More than a true crime recap, this episode reminds listeners that sometimes the real story is not the one told in docuseries or rumor—but the one unearthed by relentless pursuit of justice.

For further exploration, listeners are invited to revisit the case files and trial records, and to remember Cheryl Williams’s tireless fight as an example of faith and determination in the face of deceit.