![]() A book entitled A Perversion of Justice: A Southern Tragedy of Murder, Lies and Innocence Betrayed was published that argues that the boys were innocent. The King case received a huge amount of media attention and inspired much controversy. Both brothers pleaded guilty to third degree murder in November 2002. The prosecution and defense resolved the case in mediation, avoiding a new trial. Chavis was acquitted, and while a second degree murder conviction was obtained for the King brothers on September 6, 2002, the judge threw the conviction out because he believed that the boys' right to due process was violated. In an unconventional move, the prosecution tried both Chavis and the King brothers for the same crime. Chavis was acquitted of child molestation in a separate trial. Alex also testified that he had been having a sexual relationship with Chavis. They would change their testimony several times, first claiming that they had murdered their father on their own, then that Chavis had convinced them to kill Terry, and finally that Chavis had killed Terry King and convinced them to take the fall. The boys claimed that they committed the murder to end " mental abuse" including being "stared down" and spanked. Terry King was 40 years old at the time of his death. Chavis was also accused of molesting Alex King, but later acquitted. ![]() Ricky Chavis, a family friend, was convicted of being an accessory to the murder after he hid the boys in his trailer home after the murder and washed the blood from their clothes. ![]() The boys then set fire to the family's home, in Cantonment, Florida (near Pensacola) in hopes of concealing their crime. On November 26, 2001, Derek, accompanied by Alex, beat their father to death with an aluminum baseball bat. Terry Lee King, a resident of Cantonment, Florida, U.S., was bludgeoned to death by his two children, 13-year old Derek and 12-year old Alex King. The murder of Terry King occurred on November 26, 2001.
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