Murder of Denise Amber Lee

The murder of Denise Amber Lee occurred in North Port, Florida, United States, on January 17, 2008. Lee, was a 21-year-old woman who was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by Michael Lee King. The murder case became notorious because Lee and several others had attempted to call for help through the 9-1-1 system but there was a lack of communication and the police and other emergency services arrived too late.

Five 9-1-1 calls were made that day, including one by Lee herself from her abductor's phone and one from a witness, Jane Kowalski, who gave a detailed account of events as they unfolded before her. Failures were found in the way the 9-1-1 operators handled Kowalski's call, and additional failures were identified nationwide in the 9-1-1 system. In 2009, King was found guilty of the kidnapping, sexual battery and murder of Denise Amber Lee. He was sentenced to the death penalty.

The Denise Amber Lee Act was passed unanimously by the Florida Legislature on April 24, 2008. This act provides for optional training for 9-1-1 operators. Lee's family continue to lobby for a new law to be passed nationwide that would institute mandatory training and certification for all 9-1-1 dispatchers. The Denise Amber Lee Foundation was established in June 2008 to promote such training as well as to raise public awareness of the issues involved. Lee was the daughter of a police detective, Sgt Rick Goff. Provided by Wikipedia