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1st DCA Agrees With Decision To Refuse Bail To Denise Williams

Denise Williams is facing three charges of felony insurance fraud relating to the murder of her ex-husband.
Leon County Sheriff's Department

Denise Williams will not be getting out of jail any time soon. Florida’s First District Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court’s decision to not grant Williams bail as she awaits trial over the death of her ex-husband Mike Williams. 

Mike Williams disappeared in December 2000 near Lake Jackson. He was initially believed to have drowned in a hunting accident. His wife, Denise Williams, later married Brain Winchester who had been best friends with her former husband.

But in 2016, Winchester was arrested for kidnapping Denise Williams.  He later signed plea deal and led investigators to Mike Williams’ body in exchange for immunity. Winchester also confessed to murdering Mike Williams and claims his estranged wife, Denise, was responsible for planning the killing.

Denise Williams was arrested in May and has been charged with 1st degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. In June, a Leon County Court judge refused to grant her bail and her attorneys appealed the decision to the 1st District Court, which denied it Thursday.

Meanwhile, David Winchester is preparing to speak with Williams’ attorney’s ahead of a trial. Denise Williams is also facing insurance fraud charges. 

Follow @HatterLynn

Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. 

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