Secrets of Lake Seminole

Summary

Dateline NBC: Secrets of Lake Seminole – A Detailed Summary

Episode Release Date: July 16, 2025

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Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "Secrets of Lake Seminole," NBC News delves into the mysterious disappearance and eventual murder of Mike Williams, an experienced outdoorsman from Tallahassee, Florida. This in-depth investigation unravels a web of betrayal, deceit, and tragedy that spans over two decades, highlighting the complexities of human relationships and the quest for justice.

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The Disappearance of Mike Williams

On a cold December morning in the year 2000, Mike Williams, a 30-year-old avid duck hunter, embarked on his routine hunting trip on Lake Seminole, an expansive 30,000-acre lake situated an hour outside the Florida State Capitol. Mike was celebrating his sixth wedding anniversary with plans for a romantic stay at a Bed and Breakfast that evening. However, his hunting expedition took a dark turn when he never returned.

Brian Winchester, Mike's best friend from school days, recalls the initial shock:

*"[03:30] Brian Winchester: What picture came together for you at that point?"

"[03:35] Brian Winchester: Well, I think I was like everybody else worried that he might have fallen out this Clay."*

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Initial Search and the Gator Theory

As a cold front moved in, a thorough search operation commenced on the treacherous waters of Lake Seminole. The lake, previously a peach orchard, concealed submerged tree stumps that posed significant hazards to boaters. The initial fear was that Mike had encountered these obstacles, leading to his accidental drowning.

Fish and Wildlife Officer David Arnett explained the dangers:

"[04:00] Brian Winchester: You hit a stump and you could be thrown out very easily."

The prevailing theory suggested that Mike, wearing chest-high waders commonly used by duck hunters, might have been incapacitated by water entering his waders, making him an easy target for alligators. However, Alton Reno, another Fish and Wildlife officer, noted the improbability of an alligator attack during unusually cold temperatures when alligators are less active:

"[05:00] Lester Holt: But there was a big problem with the gator theory. With such unusually cold temperatures, Fish and wildlife officers like Alton Reno knew the alligators weren't stirring much. His metabolism is down so low he don't want to eat."

Despite extensive searches, Mike's body remained elusive, leaving his family and friends in anguish and uncertainty.

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Cheryl Williams' Unyielding Quest for Answers

Mike's mother, Cheryl Williams, refused to accept the official narrative of an accidental drowning. Labeled by some as eccentric and driven, Cheryl spearheaded a relentless campaign to uncover the truth behind her son's disappearance. Her efforts included placing ads in local newspapers, sponsoring billboards, and persistently contacting law enforcement agencies.

Cheryl's determination led to significant media attention:

"[10:39] Brian Winchester: I take out an ad in the Tallahassee Democrat and I ask the public to help me find my son. It was a $1,200 ad."

Her unwavering pursuit eventually caught the attention of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), prompting a more thorough investigation.

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Marriage and Rising Suspicion

Five years after Mike's disappearance, Brian Winchester entered into a romantic relationship with Mike's widow, Denise Williams. Brian and Denise had been close friends, sharing a bond that dated back to their high school years. Their marriage in 2010 raised eyebrows within their community, given the proximity and nature of their relationship.

Denise's transition from grief-stricken widow to remarried woman was met with skepticism, especially when she and Brian moved into Mike's former home and began raising his daughter, Ansley.

Denise's friend, Becky Moss, highlighted the complexities:

"[12:42] Brian Winchester: Mrs. Williams had very strong feelings that Mike was still alive. And she was telling that to the little girl when by all accounts, he was not."

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The Abduction and Investigation

In August 2016, Denise's life took a darker turn when Brian Winchester kidnapped her, shoving a gun into her ribs while hiding in her car. Denise managed to escape and reported the abduction to the authorities. This incident intensified suspicions surrounding Brian and Denise's marriage, especially in light of unresolved questions about Mike's disappearance.

During a police interrogation, Denise exhibited clear signs of trauma:

"[21:34] Brian Winchester: Kill Mike, didn't he? That person could. He did. And that's who he was."

Brian's erratic behavior and aggressive actions during the kidnapping further implicated him in Mike's disappearance.

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The Trial: Unfolding the Truth

Denise Williams was eventually indicted for the first-degree murder of her husband, Mike Williams, with Brian Winchester acting as the star witness for the prosecution. The trial was a dramatic culmination of years of mystery and speculation.

Key Testimonies and Evidence:

1. Brian Winchester's Confession: Brian admitted to orchestrating Mike's disappearance, sharing a chilling first-person account of the murder:

   "[30:15] Brian Winchester: I think there was even talk about, you know, well, it'll be up to God what happens and not us. It won't be a murder. It'll be, you know, an accident."

2. Cheryl Williams' Insights: Cheryl provided detailed notes and observations that contradicted the official account, strengthening the case against Denise.

3. Forensic Evidence: The discovery of Mike's skeletal remains in a shallow grave outside Lake Seminole, coupled with forensic analysis confirming foul play, underscored the malicious nature of his death.

Defense Strategy: Denise's attorney, Ethan Way, aimed to discredit Brian as an unreliable witness, portraying him as an obsessed individual driven by personal motives rather than facts.

"[36:22] Lester Holt: Denise's defense boiled down to Brian being an obsessed lone wolf."

Closing Arguments: Prosecutors emphasized Denise's sole involvement and the compelling testimony provided by Brian, while the defense highlighted the lack of direct forensic evidence linking Denise to the murder.

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Verdict and Aftermath

After an intense deliberation period, the jury found Denise Williams guilty of first-degree murder, resulting in a mandatory life sentence. However, the conviction faced appeals due to questions about the sufficiency of evidence.

"[36:02] Brian Winchester: I believe her every day. Twice on Sunday, I had my gun in the boat."

Ultimately, an appeals court overturned the first-degree murder conviction but upheld Denise's conspiracy charge, sentencing her to 30 years in prison. This outcome left many questions about Brian Winchester's true involvement and the full extent of the conspiracy surrounding Mike Williams' death unanswered.

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Conclusion

"Secrets of Lake Seminole" presents a compelling narrative of loss, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of truth. Through meticulous investigation and emotional testimonies, Dateline NBC sheds light on a case that challenges our understanding of friendship, love, and justice. The unresolved elements of Mike Williams' disappearance continue to resonate, serving as a poignant reminder of the complexities inherent in human relationships and the enduring impact of unresolved mysteries.

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Notable Quotes

• Lester Holt on Cheryl Williams' Commitment:

  "[11:05] Brian Winchester: I was only six years old when Mike went missing. I remember somebody would draw out Mike's name and missing and then we would fill it in with like a black Sharpie."

• Brian Winchester on the Murder Plot:

  "[30:21] Brian Winchester: We connected like nobody else."

• Denise Williams During Police Interrogation:

  "[22:36] Lester Holt: Denise tried to steer the interview back."

• Cheryl Williams Reflecting on the Verdict:

  "[41:45] Lester Holt: His murder, what'd you learn about yourself in the midst of all this?"

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Additional Information

For those interested in diving deeper into true-crime mysteries and in-depth investigations, Dateline NBC continues to offer compelling episodes that explore the darkest corners of human behavior and the relentless pursuit of justice.

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This summary is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the "Secrets of Lake Seminole" episode for those who have not listened to the podcast.

Transcript

[Lester Holt]

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[Brian Winchester]

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[Lester Holt]

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[Brian Winchester]

How does anybody look at somebody drowning and not help them? How do you do that? They found the boat. Mike wasn't in it. We thought maybe he's had an accident. The thought is the alligators have eaten Mike. Something don't add up. People don't just disappear. There was an affair happening for years. I'm telling you, killed Mike when he.

[Lester Holt]

Was going to kill you.

[Brian Winchester]

That is just a whole nother level.

[Lester Holt]

A chilling confession and a crime almost too cruel to be true. I'm Lester Holt and this is Dateline. Here's Dennis Murphy with secrets of Lake Seminole. Lake Seminole, an hour outside Florida State Capitol, is deep south fishing hunting country. With Spanish moss on the oaks in season, the duck hunters are out before dawn. And it was there in the year 2000. On a December morning, an experienced outdoorsman named Mike Williams went duck hunting. It was the 30 year old Hunter's 6th wedding anniversary and there'd be a stay at a romantic B and B that evening. But the morning hours were his to hunt.

[Brian Winchester]

That was his outlet. That was what he enjoyed.

[Lester Holt]

The thing is he never came back. Seemed to simply vanish. His wife Denise called around to family. It was already late afternoon when Mike's brother Nick got the worrying news.

[Brian Winchester]

There was going to be a search already starting over at Lake Seminole. So we called a friend of ours and we went together.

[Lester Holt]

Mike's co worker Christy Garrett.

[Brian Winchester]

Mike is very skilled. I mean he is a very skilled hunter and we thought maybe he's had an accident.

[Lester Holt]

As a cold front moved in, a formal search began on the 30,000 acre lake. One member of the search party arrived early and stayed late. It Was Mike's best friend going back to school days, Brian Winchester. He and his dad using a spotlight made the first big discovery.

[Brian Winchester]

Brian Winchester had found the boat. Mike wasn't in it. His decoys were all in the boat. Which of course let everybody think. Obviously he never got started hunting that morning.

[Lester Holt]

What picture came together for you at that point?

[Brian Winchester]

Well, I think I was like everybody else worried that he might have fallen out this Clay.

[Lester Holt]

Mike's boss, Clay Ketchum.

[Brian Winchester]

Brian stood with me and anytime they would come up with a potential hit, Brian said I just don't want to be here when they find Mike.

[Lester Holt]

Man made Lake Seminole can be treacherous for boaters. It was a one time peach orchard before it was flooded and tree stumps lurked just below the surface.

[Brian Winchester]

At night these are very hard to see.

[Lester Holt]

Fish and wildlife officer David Arnett.

[Brian Winchester]

You hit a stump and you could be thrown out very easily.

[Lester Holt]

They didn't have a body. But there was an early theory among seasoned hunters about what might have happened. Mike in the pre dawn hour had hit a stump and been thrown into the weed filled lake. Like most duck hunters, he was known to wear chest high waders and they could turn deadly just like that.

[Brian Winchester]

Waders are bulky. They're basically like putting two buckets on your legs. You got problems with them filling up with water and taking you down.

[Lester Holt]

And what was down there everybody knew were alligators. Hard to think of such an awful end for a nice hard working husband and father like Mike Williams. Popular mind. The gators got him, huh?

[Brian Winchester]

Yes, your heart is kind of and your stomach is kind of gripped by that but just the sheer awfulness of it.

[Lester Holt]

But there was a big problem with the gator theory. With such unusually cold temperatures, Fish and wildlife officers like Alton Reno knew the alligators weren't stirring much. His metabolism is down so low he don't want to eat.

[Brian Winchester]

They're like a bear. They go into hibernation.

[Lester Holt]

Then on the 10th day of searching, Officer Renu found a hunter's hat floating on the water. Ryan, the best friend, thought it looked familiar. He comes up out here to the tent and shows us a photograph with.

[Brian Winchester]

Mike with that hat on.

[Lester Holt]

Surely that hat was as good as evidence that Mike had had an accident and drowned in Lake Seminole. Mike's co workers Liz Boyette and Christy Garrett felt hope slip away. When did you both realize that this was it?

[Brian Winchester]

I think we all knew that something had happened. True. After a few weeks had passed, we knew that Mike wasn't coming back.

[Lester Holt]

Months went by with no sign of Mike and Then in June, something of Mike's did literally surface. That made people wonder. His chest high waders, they were as clean as this new pair and showed no sign of a gator attack.

[Brian Winchester]

We found no indication of any bite marks on the waders, no indication of any human remains whatsoever.

[Lester Holt]

Traces of Mike, but still no body. And how unusual that was for a lake not to give up its dead.

[Brian Winchester]

Mike at that point was the only hunter fisherman that had gone overboard in that lake. So that had never been found.

[Lester Holt]

Fish and wildlife officers were confounded. Eventually the case of the missing boater was handed off to local sheriff's detectives to investigate. I remember telling some of the guys investigators, we might want to look into this a little deeper because something don't add up. Hunter Mike Williams had disappeared on Lake Seminole and his wife Denise was alone with a young daughter to raise. Their story began as high school sweethearts. He, the football star and student council president. She the cheerleader and homecoming queen. Patti Ketchum, the wife of Mike's boss, got to know them both. Impressions of her.

[Brian Winchester]

Patti. Oh, just as nice. Just absolutely delightful. Absolutely delightful.

[Lester Holt]

After attending a private Christian high school, the two graduated from hometown Florida State University and got married. Their baby girl, Ansley was born on Mother's Day. Denise was a cpa. Mike meanwhile, had become an ace real estate appraiser in his hometown, Tallahassee. Mike's boss, Clay Ketchum was amazed that despite the 15 hour days Mike put in at the office, he always made time to take care of the home.

[Brian Winchester]

Front, make sure that dinner was ready, laundry got going.

[Lester Holt]

So he's Mr. Mom.

[Brian Winchester]

He's Mr. Mom. We all said we wanted to be married to Mike Williams. I mean, we all needed a Mike Williams in our life.

[Lester Holt]

Mike's co workers took mischievous delight in wondering what Denise had in store for him when she called him at the office.

[Brian Winchester]

I'm across the street, please, I need to come find my gas. Yeah, he worked upstairs. So you hear this? Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam down the steps. I guess Denise needs to. I guess Denise needs gas.

[Lester Holt]

But now with Mike gone, Denise would be the sole provider for their young daughter. Fortunately, Mike had several hefty insurance policies.

[Brian Winchester]

You have a small child and a wife to take care of. Sure, yeah. You need to get insurance, you know.

[Lester Holt]

Brian, Mike's best friend and an insurance broker himself, helped Denise navigate the claims process. For as long as most people could remember, he, Denise and Mike and Brian and his wife Kathy had been couples together. They all attended that private Christian high school, married their high school Sweethearts and had children about the same time. And then came Lake Seminole. After a year had gone by since Mike disappeared, Denise asked Patti to take her to the lake.

[Brian Winchester]

She told me how she had been going to a Christian counselor and he had encouraged her to do this. And she had a flower with her, and she'd written Mic a note. And I guess probably 30, 45 minutes later, she came back and she'd been crying.

[Lester Holt]

The flower and the letter in particular.

[Brian Winchester]

Those were left at the lake.

[Lester Holt]

Gone, but definitely not forgotten, according to Becky Moss, Denise's friend and co worker.

[Brian Winchester]

She loved him like a woman would love your life partner, your soulmate.

[Lester Holt]

The official death certificate said Mike Driver drowned while duck hunting. But for Mike's family and friends, doubts started creeping in, spurred on by little things that just didn't add up. Like those waiters found six months after Mike disappeared. They looked almost pristine.

[Brian Winchester]

No, something is wrong here.

[Lester Holt]

Staged, I thought.

[Brian Winchester]

Staged. Because I know that anything left in a lake for any period of time is going to have algae on it.

[Lester Holt]

Speculation gave way to suspicion. Could Mike's disappearance be the result of foul play? Enter the wild car, the squeakiest of squeaky wheels. Mike Williams mother, who simply was not buying the official story that Mike, an experienced outdoorsman, had an accident on that lake.

[Brian Winchester]

Ike is not in Lake Seminole. He did not drown. He did not get eaten by alligators.

[Lester Holt]

Some called Cheryl Williams, with her pigtails, eccentric, even crazy. But she demanded answers, appealing first to the media. And when she didn't get any results, she opened her purse and spent money she really couldn't afford.

[Brian Winchester]

I take out an ad in the Tallahassee Democrat and I ask the public to help me find my son. It was a $1,200 ad.

[Lester Holt]

Earnings from the daycare center she operated out of her home.

[Brian Winchester]

You have to change a lot of diapers to pay for an ad that expensive. But it got publicity.

[Lester Holt]

Some of the daycare center kids, now all grown like Maria Denmark, remembered making missing person posters.

[Brian Winchester]

I was only six years old when Mike went missing. I remember somebody would draw out Mike's name and missing and then we would fill it in with like a black Sharpie.

[Lester Holt]

Ms. Cheryl, as she became known, was a one woman campaign. She wrote letters to the governor every day for years, 2,600 in all. She paid for billboards and stood outside churches with posters.

[Brian Winchester]

The ministers would get mad because I was outside their church. Ms. Williams, why don't you leave?

[Lester Holt]

Cheryl didn't. You were getting a reputation around town as this kind of batty lady with the pigtails out there with her signs and the billboards and the letters to the editor. And you became.

[Brian Winchester]

Everybody called me crazy, but not everybody.

[Lester Holt]

Police began to take Cheryl seriously after years of her struggling to draw attention to Mike's case.

[Brian Winchester]

Ms. Sherrill is a straight shooter, and she tells it like it is.

[Lester Holt]

Will Mickler is an agent with the fdle, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a top cops agency with statewide jurisdiction. Four years after Mike went missing, they agreed to take the case.

[Brian Winchester]

If it wasn't for Ms. Sherrill, this case would have never gotten into the hands of criminal investigators.

[Lester Holt]

But Mike's widow, Denise, didn't appreciate what Cheryl was doing.

[Brian Winchester]

She's upset because she and her daddy said it was an invasion of their privacy.

[Lester Holt]

Denise's friend Becky Moss, in her defense, said Denise told Cheryl to stop all the noise because it was confusing her daughter.

[Brian Winchester]

Mrs. Williams had very strong feelings that Mike was still alive. And she was telling that to the little girl when by all accounts, he was not. Nick and I never told Ansley that her daddy was alive. Never.

[Lester Holt]

Then Denise upped the ante, laying down a demand to her mother in law. Stop raising a ruckus or Cheryl would never see her granddaughter Ansley again.

[Brian Winchester]

So she followed through with her promise.

[Lester Holt]

And your granddaughter's gone.

[Brian Winchester]

Totally gone out of my life. But I couldn't stop. I had to find out what happened to Mike.

[Lester Holt]

And that smoldering stalemate between Cheryl and Denise held fast as the years went went by. In time, Denise Williams began dating, even thinking about marriage with one of her suitors. But soon the rumor mill would be abuzz with a more sensational take on Denise's love life. Building a business may feel like a big jump, but on deck small business loans can help keep you afloat with lines of credit up to $100,000 and term loans up to 250,000. On deck lets you choose the loan that's right for as a top rated online small business lender, Ondeck's team of loan advisors can help you find the right business loan to fit your needs. Visit ondeck.com for more information. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by Ondeck or Celtibank. Ondeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.

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[Lester Holt]

Duck Seasons came and went as the years rolled by. Long after Mike Williams ill fated hunting trip, Denise was working for the state as an accountant, a young widow raising her daughter Ansley. She'd started dating again and one day there was a new man in her life, someone with a very familiar name.

[Brian Winchester]

Then all of a sudden we find out she's dating Brian Winchester.

[Lester Holt]

Brian, Mike's best friend and fishing and hunting buddy since their days as a happy foursome in high school and beyond. Brian and his wife Kathy had gotten a divorce. Friend Becky Moss said Brian wasn't Denise's first relationship after Mike, Denise dated other people. So she didn't fly right into his arms.

[Brian Winchester]

No, I mean, she had reservations for a while. He really kind of had to prove himself to her in terms of where he was at with his Christianity.

[Lester Holt]

Nonetheless, this was a juicy tidbit. Mike's best friend hooking up with the widow of the man who disappeared. It didn't take the court of public opinion long to do the math. Could Brian have had anything to do with Mike's disappearance? And what did Denise know? Those coffee shop conspiracies took wing when five years after Mike's disappearance, Brian married Denise. Mike's old boss and his wife were invited to the wedding. They'd heard the rumors too.

[Brian Winchester]

The minister got up and said there is nothing that I don't know between the two of them. And Patti and I kind of punched each other in the ribs and said, well, there might be one little piece of information that he is not aware of.

[Lester Holt]

Brian moved into the same house Mike and Denise had lived in together and began raising Mike's daughter.

[Brian Winchester]

What really bothered me the most was the fact that they stayed in Mike's.

[Lester Holt]

House raising that child, raising the child.

[Brian Winchester]

And assumes the role of takes over his life. Takes over his life. It's just. It's so creepy.

[Lester Holt]

For Cheryl, the marriage seemed to corroborate long running suspicions that she'd worked like a sick tooth. She'd kept a detailed notebook about Mike's disappearance, and Brian and Denise were filling more and more pages in it. She alerted investigator Mike Devaney from the FDLE about her suspicions and shared a 27 page summary of her notes.

[Brian Winchester]

She was a good source of information, and she was, she was a real bulldog on this.

[Lester Holt]

Like this item, Cheryl noted, remember those insurance policies Mike bought? They were worth $1.75 million, and it was Brian who actually sold Mike a large part of them. And those waiters that surfaced after Mike went missing were used by Denise's lawyer as evidence to declare Mike dead in just seven months so she could collect her money. That's better than icing on the cake. If one of your goals is to get the woman, you also get the money.

[Brian Winchester]

That was all that I really needed to know.

[Lester Holt]

But the authorities needed much more than idle gossip. Tully Sparkman, an investigator for the prosecutor's office, worked the case for 10 long years. Are suspicions getting grounded in the relationship between Denise and Brian, or was it in the money trail or what?

[Brian Winchester]

It was all of it. I mean, it's a cumulative thing. You start looking at, you know, the odd fact that the body never floated, the waiters popping up the money.

[Lester Holt]

So the investigators kept their eyes on the married couple, Brian and Denise, and bided their time. If either one of them was harboring a secret involving foul play, eventually it might have a corrosive effect on their relationship.

[Brian Winchester]

Well, they're not going to turn on each other while they're married. But then you're waiting on things to flare up.

[Lester Holt]

And in 2012, seven years into their marriage, they did flare up. Brian moved out, Denise wanted a divorce, but Brian managed to put it off for years. So the marriage was finished at that point. I would say, though, in August 2016, Brian did something that nearly ended very badly for Denise. The wild episode started one morning as Denise got in her car to go to work. Hiding in the backseat, Brian popped up, shoved a gun in her ribs, and said, drive. Denise managed to pull into a shopping center parking lot where she talked Brian into letting her go. She promised she wouldn't tell police, but after Brian left, she did report her abduction.

[Brian Winchester]

He's straightening and I'm just, like, shaking, Denise said.

[Lester Holt]

An unhinged Brian, upset about the divorce, even threatened to take his own life.

[Brian Winchester]

He kept saying I've lost everything. I have nothing to live for. Many times I'm going to kill myself. Did he tell you how he was.

[Lester Holt]

Going to do that?

[Brian Winchester]

Where he was going to do it? No, but he said he bought the gun to do it. Did you actually plan to kill both of us? Today she goes, well, me.

[Lester Holt]

As Denise relived the horror of the day, little did she know that in an adjoining room an FDLE agent was listening. He wasn't interested in some high voltage domestic quarrel. He wanted to know about Mike's disappearance and what Brian had to do with it and what Denise might know. Denise's already very bad day was about to get infinitely worse. Denise Williams had been carjacked at gunpoint by her estranged husband, Brian Winchester. And now she was sitting in a police interview room giving her version of the abduction.

[Brian Winchester]

What would lead him to this? To want to kill himself? Because, I mean, our marriage is over.

[Lester Holt]

But police believe Brian wasn't going to kill just himself. Especially after Denise told them he'd brought along a tarp and bleach as well as the gun. Denise, he was going to kill you. He brought that stuff using the coverage tracks. For years, police felt that Brian and Denise were the keys to understanding Mike's disappearance. And now with the kidnapping, they believe Brian was taking no chances in getting rid of the one person who might know what he had done. I'm sure at some point he told you something. I'm telling you he killed Mike. He was going to kill you if you go away. The detective pressed her, asking Denise if she really knew the man she'd married. That person you saw, then he could.

[Brian Winchester]

Kill Mike, didn't he? That person could. He did. And that's who he was.

[Lester Holt]

Then he has conned you to no end.

[Brian Winchester]

It's not your fault. I mean, that person today could have done anything and anything. This is not the person that I married. That's not the person that I knew.

[Lester Holt]

Mike Devaney, the FDLE lead agent, couldn't believe Denise was finally being questioned about what happened to Mike.

[Brian Winchester]

FDL agents had approached Brian and Denise on one occasion and they both refused to talk. They went straight to an attorney and that was that.

[Lester Holt]

Devaney had waited a long time for this moment. Now it was his turn to enter the room and find out what Denise knew.

[Brian Winchester]

45. Oh, I. I have no idea. You don't really believe he. He died on the lake? I do. Why? I just. I just always. Hannah, that's what I believe.

[Lester Holt]

Denise tried to steer the interview back.

[Brian Winchester]

To the kidnap I mean, this was your. This was your husband. He simply vanished. I'm not comfortable talking about this right now. I've had an unbelievable day.

[Lester Holt]

Devaney kept pushing, telling Denise if she didn't talk, he might get the story from someone else.

[Brian Winchester]

I'd much rather get it from you than from Brian, because Betty's arrested on my top 10, too. That's fine. I don't want to see what he says. Okay? Okay. He may say something you don't want to hear. I don't know. Well, I have no idea.

[Lester Holt]

For now, the mystery of Mike's disappearance remained just that. But Brian was arrested and charged with kidnapping Denise. He pleaded not guilty to those charges, but a year later, he changed his plea to no contest.

[Brian Winchester]

It comes down to my life or his, and I'm asking you, please, to choose mine.

[Lester Holt]

At sentencing, Denise appealed to the judge to give him a life sentence.

[Brian Winchester]

He will finish what he has started, no matter what age he is. When he is released, I'm asking you to sentence him to life in prison for the crimes he has committed.

[Lester Holt]

In the end, the judge gave Brian Winchester 20 years in court. Nothing had been said about Mike Williams.

[Brian Winchester]

When they shuffled him off, we walked out and I looked to Patty and I said, well, that's it. The door has just been slammed on whatever happened to Mike, and we will never know.

[Lester Holt]

But the next day, FDLE had a major announcement. They'd found a skeletal body in a shallow grave.

[Brian Winchester]

The human remains are those of Mike Williams.

[Lester Holt]

After all those years, it was over. Police were mum on how they'd found Mike's body, but speculation was that Bryant had led them to it.

[Brian Winchester]

Further forensic analysis concluded that Mike Williams was, in fact murdered.

[Lester Holt]

And his body wasn't in Lake Seminole after all. It was 50 miles away, back in Tallahassee, off a dead end road by another swampy lake.

[Brian Winchester]

I said, he can't be dead. He can't be. And they said, it's Mike. I said, you know that. And they said, yes, we've done all the DNA.

[Lester Holt]

FDLE agent Will Mickler broke the news to Denise.

[Brian Winchester]

I saw her tear up when the death notification was provided to her that Mike Williams remains had been identified and located.

[Lester Holt]

Now, you'd think with the recovery of the body, murder charges would be filed forthwith. But that didn't happen. Detectives continued to investigate. They had another suspect in their sights. And what a sensation that turned out to be. Five months after Mike's body was recovered, a perp walk to remember. Denise Williams in handcuffs, being marched by cops from her office. At Florida State University. She was charged with the first degree murder of her first husband, Mike. It was her daughter Ansley's 19th birthday. The indictment said that Denise had conspired with Brian Winchester to kill his best friend. She pleaded not guilty, but Denise was the only one charged. What about Brian?

[Brian Winchester]

They told us that they had had to make a deal with the devil.

[Lester Holt]

Some called it the deal of the century.

[Brian Winchester]

Really what they wanted was information of what happened to Mike, where the body was.

[Lester Holt]

His attorney, Tim Jansen, said prosecutors had but one priority. To find Mike's body.

[Brian Winchester]

They never said to him, you have to give any evidence against Denise.

[Lester Holt]

But he would. In exchange for his testimony against Denise, Bryant got 20 years for the kidnapping and would not face murder charges.

[Brian Winchester]

State of Florida versus Denise Williams.

[Lester Holt]

Almost 18 years after Mike Williams disappeared, Denise went on trial. She faced a mandatory life sentence if convicted. Prosecutors had a lineup of witnesses, FDLE agents, Fish and Wildlife officers, and Mike's mother, Their head barely showing above the witness box.

[Brian Winchester]

Yes.

[Lester Holt]

And the jury met Brian's first wife, Kathy.

[Brian Winchester]

Did you suspect that Brian Winchester, your husband, was having an affair with Denise Williams? I did suspect that.

[Lester Holt]

Suspicions that were confirmed after Brian asked her to join them in a threesome at a beach condo before the murder. There were snapshots where with partial nudity. Kathy also said Denise tried to involve her in a cover up after Brian's.

[Brian Winchester]

Arrest to get a message to Brian that I'm not talking.

[Lester Holt]

But those witnesses were merely the side dishes to the state's main course, the mesmerizing confession of Brian Winchester. It was a stunning story of betrayals. A wife betraying her husband. Her lover betraying his best friend. Friend.

[Brian Winchester]

I had my gun in the boat.

[Lester Holt]

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[Brian Winchester]

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[Lester Holt]

Denise Williams was standing trial for first degree murder, conspiring in the death of her first husband, Mike. And who was she accused of conspiring with? Why, her now ex husband number two and Mike's best friend, Brian Winchester. He would be the state star witness against her, required to testify to every grisly detail. Prosecutors John Fuchs and Andy Rogers knew their star witness came with some baggage. Do you guys have to worry whether the jury is going to hate your star witness? Brian? There's no question they were going to hate him. That from day one was obvious. We hate them.

[Brian Winchester]

They walk out. They don't believe Brian Winchester.

[Lester Holt]

She walks now. Here he was, Brian Winchester, looking haggard and drawn after almost two years in jail on the kidnapping charge, about to tell his story of duck hunting, sex and murder.

[Brian Winchester]

We connected like nobody else, brian said.

[Lester Holt]

He and Denise had been secret lovers for three years before Mike Williams was murdered.

[Brian Winchester]

The more we were together, the more we wanted to be together. It just snowballed so fast that within.

[Lester Holt]

Two years, Denise and Brian were plotting Mike's so called accident on Lake Seminole.

[Brian Winchester]

I think there was even talk about, you know, well, it'll be up to God what happens and not us. It won't be a murder. It'll be, you know, an accident.

[Lester Holt]

To most people, divorce would have been a better solution. But Brian said Denise, a devout Christian, didn't want to endure the stigma because.

[Brian Winchester]

Of the way she was raised, because of her pride, I guess. She did not want to get divorced. I mean, we wanted to be together and we weren't going to let anything stop that.

[Lester Holt]

Better to be a killer than a divorcee. A widow gets sympathy and on top of that, she gets $1.75 million. So the weekend of the wedding anniversary became D Day. Bryant testified Mike was not hunting alone. He was along as his early morning duck hunting buddy. They pushed off. The plan was to make it look like Mike drowned in a boating accident. The murder weapon would be Mike's waders.

[Brian Winchester]

We believed that if you fell overboard with the waders on that you would sink pretty quickly. We got to that area that I knew was a deep area. I basically stopped the boat and got him to stand up. And when he did, I pushed him into the water. Pulling up the next he was in the water and he was like struggling. I pulled off just a little bit to get kind of away from him so that he couldn't reach back into the boat. And I didn't know it at the time. I didn't know if he was trying to swim or I didn't know what was going on. But what I came to find out or eventually realized was he was taking the waders and the jacket off.

[Lester Holt]

Mike made it to a tree stump and clung for dear life. That's when Brian decided to change the plan.

[Brian Winchester]

And he was panicking and I was panicking, and none of this was like going how I thought it was going to go. He was. He started to yell, and so I had my gun in the boat and so I loaded my gun and I just. I made one or two circles around and I ended up circling closer towards him. And he was in the water. And as I passed by, I shot him. Where did you shoot him?

[Lester Holt]

Autopsy X rays showed buckshot throughout Mike's head. As the details emerged in court, Cheryl was struck yet another blow.

[Brian Winchester]

What's hard for me now is what I found out in court was how he was murdered.

[Lester Holt]

It's a horrible story.

[Brian Winchester]

They told me. The only consolation I could have was that Michael didn't feel it. He was dead immediately.

[Lester Holt]

Brian said after blasting Mike with his 12 gauge, he grabbed his lifeless body and steered the boat to shore.

[Brian Winchester]

And I pushed the boat back out into the water to make it look like he had drowned or disappeared on shore.

[Lester Holt]

He stuffed Mike's body into a dog crate in the back of his truck and drove back to Tallahassee, where he found an isolated area to bury his friend. Later that day, when Brian got a call from his father saying Mike was missing, the two drove to Lake Seminole.

[Brian Winchester]

There was a storm that came through that night. You know, my dad wanted to look at. I think we were the last ones on the lake. And my dad didn't want to give up. My dad loved Mike.

[Lester Holt]

With no body ever found in the lake, Brian testified they grew concerned about their other incentive to murder Mike.

[Brian Winchester]

The concern between she and I then became, well, if his body's not found, what's going to happen with the life insurance?

[Lester Holt]

Brian admitted to staging the hat found 10 days into the search.

[Brian Winchester]

I was the one that put it in the water during one of my searches on the lake to kind of confirm that he had drowned.

[Lester Holt]

And for the next 16 years, Brian said he and Denise kept a mafia like oath of silence. It is riveting testimony, this first person story of taking a best friend out and killing him.

[Brian Winchester]

And you can tell from the jurors that they're on the edge of their seat.

[Lester Holt]

It was strong emotional testimony. But would it be strong enough to convict? That would be for the jury to say now. Defense attorney Ethan Way rose with his goal set upon demolishing the star witness credibility.

[Brian Winchester]

Mr. Winchester, you're a murderer. Isn't it true.

[Lester Holt]

The prosecution case would live or die by its star witness? What jurors believe. Brian Winchester, does it come to a matter of jurors? It's he said, she said.

[Brian Winchester]

Pick one. Yes.

[Lester Holt]

Who do you believe?

[Brian Winchester]

I believe her every day. Twice on Sunday, I had my gun in the boat.

[Lester Holt]

Brian's chilling account of murdering his best friend in a plot with Mike's wife Denise was an award worthy performance. Thought Denise's attorney, Ethan Way, compelling. That is if you were a sucker for crocodile tears.

[Brian Winchester]

He is a well rehearsed, well trained, well timed liar.

[Lester Holt]

Denise's defense boiled down to Brian being an obsessed lone wolf.

[Brian Winchester]

He coveted Denise, that he had this desire to have her.

[Lester Holt]

The defense said he was the only killer. She had nothing to do with his murderous craziness. In cross examination, the defense wanted jurors to see that Brian's only goal was to save his own bacon by implicating Denise. And for his efforts, he wasn't charged with murder and got just 20 years in prison for kidnapping her.

[Brian Winchester]

He got to jail on August 5, 2016 on the charges of armed kidnapping. You didn't straight away go to law enforcement and volunteer the details of the Mike Williams murder, did you? Absolutely not. In fact, while you were in jail, you decided you were going to take certain steps to try to frustrate the prosecution of the armed kidnapping case, isn't that true? Yes, sir. I was desperate to do anything that I possibly could to avoid going to prison.

[Lester Holt]

Like having a discussion with one jail inmate who offered to kill Denise and get others to lie in his kidnapping.

[Brian Winchester]

Case, he did offer to make Denise go away and make other witnesses in the case go away. And I said, don't ever speak to me of that again. So you were drawing the line at having witnesses eliminated? Yes, sir. You were not drawing the line at having witness testimony and other evidence fabricated? Correct.

[Lester Holt]

With the possibility of new charges for witness tampering, the defense said that's when Brian agreed to a deal. In exchange for his deal, he has to throw her under the bus. He has to deliver.

[Brian Winchester]

Well, he. He has to deliver, but he also gets a revenge element. Denise is the one that turned him in. If Denise Williams was involved in this murder in any way, why would she take the one person that can incriminate her and turn him into law enforcement and have him locked up?

[Lester Holt]

As for the actual murder, the defense got Brian to admit it. Was he and he alone pulling the trigger? Denise was an hour away at home in Tallahassee with the baby.

[Brian Winchester]

When you shot Mike Williams at Lake Seminole with a 12 gauge shotgun, was Denise Williams standing there with you? No, she wasn't. She was in my head, behind me. Is it fair to say that over the years, you've been obsessed with Denise Williams? Obsessed? Denise and I were best friends. We were Bonnie and Clyde. We were partners in crime.

[Lester Holt]

Then why, the defense asked, was his Bonnie in the dark about what actually happened at the lake?

[Brian Winchester]

Denise Williams had no idea that you shot her husband in the face with a shotgun, did she? Correct. I tried to tell her about it one day, and she did not want to know the details. She told me that she assumed that what we had planned did not happen and God was going to forgive us.

[Lester Holt]

In the end, the defense attorney got Bryant to tell jurors exactly why they should not believe him.

[Brian Winchester]

Sir. Winchester, you're a murderer. Isn't it true? Yes, sir. Mr. Winchester, you're a liar. Isn't it true? Yes, sir.

[Lester Holt]

You got him to say yes to both those things.

[Brian Winchester]

I have probably, in 20 years, never had a witness come right out and say boldly and emphatically that they are a liar.

[Lester Holt]

In his final remarks to the jury, attorney Ethan Way argued, if you exclude Brian's lying testimony, you're left with nothing forensically evidentially tying Denise to the murder.

[Brian Winchester]

This case is only about Brian Winchester. It is only about him killing Mike Williams. It is only about him doing the most heinous thing that can be done.

[Lester Holt]

In his closing remarks, prosecutor Fuchs pointed to Denise. That one person sat here and listened.

[Brian Winchester]

To Brian Winchester described how she had. How he had Shot and killed her husband, the man she supposedly loved and cherished. Absolute stone face.

[Lester Holt]

Didn't bat an eye, didn't shed a tear. With that, the jury had the case. And remember a point easy to lose sight of. It was Denise on trial for murder, not Brian. The waiting began. Did you feel pretty good about things?

[Brian Winchester]

I was feeling pretty confident. I mean, I wasn't 100% sure either. Like we didn't have a slam dunk case. There is no evidence, there is no proof. She did nothing wrong.

[Lester Holt]

She just has the story told by the ex husband.

[Brian Winchester]

Exactly.

[Lester Holt]

Late that night, about eight hours into deliberations, a verdict. Cheryl had waited 18 years for this moment.

[Brian Winchester]

State of Florida v. Denise Williams.

[Lester Holt]

Cheryl's jaw dropped when she heard the decision. We the jury, find the defendant is guilty of first degree murder. Guilty on all counts.

[Brian Winchester]

We caught justice for Mike. And this was about justice for Mike. He loved Denise. His wedding ring was on his hand when they found his remains.

[Lester Holt]

The conviction meant a mandatory life sentence for Denise Williams. Our interview with Cheryl and Nick came on a very difficult day. Ms. Cheryl, this is an important day as we sit here, isn't it? This is an anniversary day.

[Brian Winchester]

Yes, Sir. It's the 18th anniversary of Mike's disappearance. Now that I now know that it's.

[Lester Holt]

His murder, what'd you learn about yourself in the midst of all this?

[Brian Winchester]

I do believe in what's right. And I will stand up and I will fight for that. All rise. Court is back in session.

[Lester Holt]

But even with the guilty verdict, it wasn't quite over. An appeals court threw out the first degree murder conviction, citing a lack of evidence, but let stand the murder conspiracy charge. Cheryl went through another painful sentencing hearing. After hearing from her and other witnesses, the judge sentenced Denise to 30 years in prison. She'll be 77 years old when she gets out. That's all for now. I'm Lester Holt. Thanks for joining us. There's a time when a person goes missing. The brain says something bad has happened. The heart says, keep looking. Taylor Wright announced she was running an errand and she didn't come back.

[Brian Winchester]

Started as a simple missing person case.

[Lester Holt]

Was she actually missed missing? Or had she simply left, Taylor's story would get a lot more complicated. Dateline Friday at 9, 8 Central, only on NBC.