Michael Benson's True Crime Bundle (75 page)

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Authors: Michael Benson

BOOK: Michael Benson's True Crime Bundle

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Harold Muxlow. If only he’d done something more quickly. Denise Lee had had so many chances to be saved, but no one stepped up.

And, of course, there was the heinous nature of the crimes themselves that Michael King had perpetrated against this little girl—and Fraivillig did think of her as a little girl because she was so young and tiny.

Did the prosecutor believe in evil?

“Yes, I do. I think there are people out there who are truly evil. Michael King is one of those people. This crime went on for hours. This was not an isolated crime of passion. First he had to think about it a long time, because he took steps, like getting duct tape, preparing the rape room in his house, took her from her babies, raped her for hours. He still could let her walk away. Then he went to Harold’s house, already knowing that she was going to die. He borrowed the gas can and the shovel. She was a smart girl. She saw those items and she knew what was ahead for her. He didn’t have the decency, the human compassion, to hide those items from her. That is evil to me—truly evil. Then he took her out, and I think he tried to rape her again, because she was naked when she was shot. After killing her, he showed no remorse and told some half-assed story about him being a victim, too. You look at what he did, step by step by step, and the feeling you come away with is that there is something missing in him. I know that people call him [4a] sociopath or psychopath—but to me, there is just a void in there that is evil. I don’t think he deserves to walk among his fellow human beings. I don’t even think that he’s a human being. He doesn’t deserve to be called that.”

Denise Goff was a beautiful child who grew into a beautiful woman.
(Yearbook photo)

Denise was a bright but shy young woman who married her first and only boyfriend.
(Courtesy Rick and Sue Goff)

Everyone who knew her found in Denise a maturity and wisdom beyond her years.
(Courtesy Rick and Sue Goff)

A barefoot Denise negotiates a crystal clear stream while on vacation in Tennessee.
(Courtesy Rick and Sue Goff)

Denise, pregnant with Noah.
(Courtesy Rick and Sue Goff)

The entire region was heartbroken when they heard that beautiful 21-year-old Denise Lee, a loving wife and mother of two small sons, had been murdered.
(Courtesy Rick and Sue Goff)

Denise, the daughter of a cop, was courageous and quick-thinking to the end, saving her sons and leaving the clues necessary to capture her killer.
(Courtesy Rick and Sue Goff)