Series: St. Martin's True Crime Library | Publication Date: September 15, 2003
The Accused: 13-year-old Derek King and his 12-year-old brother, Alex, Sunday school students with choirboy looks.
After midnight on November 26, 2001, someone bludgeoned Terry King to death while he slept, and set his Florida home afire. By the time the firefighters extinguished the blaze, King's sons, Alex, 12, and Derek, 13, were at the home of their forty-year-old friend, Ricky Chavis, a convicted child-molester. By the next afternoon, following confessions, both boys were charged as adults in their father's slaying. Chavis was tried separately for the same crime-incredibly by the same attorney who would prosecute Alex and Derek, and argue two contradictory theories.
The Victim: Their own father.
When Alex divulged his sexual relationship with Chavis, the trial took a sensational turn. So did Alex and Derek, who recanted their confession and blamed Chavis to no avail. A jury convicted the boys of second-degree murder, but the judge threw the verdict out. Chavis was acquitted. But the case wasn't over. As more disturbing revelations came to light, as criminal motives became more complex, and as the line between guilt and innocence was crossed, a stunned nation watched in disbelief to learn the ultimate fate of the...Angels of Death.
The Accused: 13-year-old Derek King and his 12-year-old brother, Alex, Sunday school students with choirboy looks.
After midnight on November 26, 2001, someone bludgeoned Terry King to death while he slept, and set his Florida home afire. By the time the firefighters extinguished the blaze, King's sons, Alex, 12, and Derek, 13, were at the home of their forty-year-old friend, Ricky Chavis, a convicted child-molester. By the next afternoon, following confessions, both boys were charged as adults in their father's slaying. Chavis was tried separately for the same crime-incredibly by the same attorney who would prosecute Alex and Derek, and argue two contradictory theories.
The Victim: Their own father.
When Alex divulged his sexual relationship with Chavis, the trial took a sensational turn. So did Alex and Derek, who recanted their confession and blamed Chavis to no avail. A jury convicted the boys of second-degree murder, but the judge threw the verdict out. Chavis was acquitted. But the case wasn't over. As more disturbing revelations came to light, as criminal motives became more complex, and as the line between guilt and innocence was crossed, a stunned nation watched in disbelief to learn the ultimate fate of the...Angels of Death.
About the Author
For the last twenty years, Gary C. King has been one of America's foremost crime writers. Over 400 of his stories have appeared in crime magazines across the United States, Canada, and England, including True Detective, Official Detective, Inside Detective, Front Page Detective, and Master Detective. His books Web of Deceit, Driven to Kill (which was nominated for an Anthony Award in the Best True Crime Book category at Bouchercon 25) and Blood Lust: Portrait of a Serial Sex Killer were chosen as a featured selection of the True Crime Book Club. He is also the author of Blind Rage, Savage Vengeance, co-written with Don Lasseter, An Early Grave, The Texas 7, and Murder in Hollywood. A full-time writer, Mr. King is an active member of The Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his wife and two daughters.
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime; 1ST edition (September 15, 2003)
Gary C. King, a freelance author and lecturer, is regarded by readers and critics alike as one of the world's foremost crime writers, a reputation he has earned over the last 31 years with the publication of more than 400 articles in true crime magazines in the United States, Canada, and England. King took over Ann Rule's job as Pacific Northwest stringer for True Detective, Official Detective, Inside Detective, Front Page Detective, and Master Detective magazines, writing hundreds of articles under various names until those magazines ceased publication in the mid-1990s. More recently he has found alternate venues for his stories, including TruTV's Crime Library. He has published several "classic" true crime stories for Investigation Discovery, which can be found on their website. He is also the author of several true crime books including: Blood Lust: Portrait of a Serial Sex Killer, Driven to Kill, Web of Deceit, Blind Rage, Savage Vengeance (with Don Lasseter), An Early Grave, The Texas 7, Murder in Hollywood, Angels of Death, Stolen in the Night, Love, Lies, and Murder, and An Almost Perfect Murder, which is about the murder of Nevada State Controller Kathy Augustine by succinylcholine poisoning administered by her husband, critical-care nurse Chaz Higgs. King also wrote Butcher, about Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton, which was published by Pinnacle Books in April 2009. King recently finished work on Rage, about millionaire Reno, Nevada businessman Darren Mack, who murdered his wife, Charla, in 2006 and then shot and seriously injured their divorce judge, Chuck Weller, with a high-powered rifle from a parking garage facing the judge's chambers. Rage is scheduled for publication by Pinnacle Books in July 2010. King also wrote The Murder of Meredith Kercher, which was published by John Blake Publishing, Ltd., in January 2010.
Driven to Kill, the story of serial child killer Westley Allan Dodd's killing spree, was published in April 1993 by Pinnacle Books and was nominated for an Anthony Award in the Best True Crime Book category at Bouchercon 25.
Blood Lust: Portrait of a Serial Sex Killer, details the bizarre case of Dayton Leroy Rogers, Oregon's worst serial killer to date. Blood Lust was published in December 1992 under NAL/Dutton's Onyx imprint as an original paperback. A German language edition of Blood Lust was published later, in 1995. Both Blood Lust and Driven to Kill were chosen as featured selections of Doubleday's True Crime Book Club.
King has also written articles on several celebrated cases that include: "Son of Sam" David Berkowitz; the Hillside Stranglers; Jim Jones and the Guyana Massacre; D.B. Cooper; Gary Gilmore; John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman; and Seattle's bizarre Chinatown Massacre in the 1980s. He has also contributed to several true crime compilations books with various publishers.
The subjects of King's other books include: Blind Rage, about suspected serial murderer Darren Dee O'Neall, published by Dutton-Signet under their Onyx imprint in August 1995, and was reprinted in 2001 by the Mystery Writers of America/iUniverse. Savage Vengeance, co-written with Don Lasseter, was published in 1996. An Early Grave, published by St. Martin's Press (SMP), is about the mysterious death of Las Vegas casino scion Ted Binion; The Texas 7: A True Story of Murder and a Daring Escape, (SMP) about the infamous Texas prison break in which a dedicated cop with a family was brutally murdered; Murder in Hollywood, (SMP) about the murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, actor Robert Blake's wife; Angels of Death, (SMP) a story detailing the murder of Terry King in Florida, purportedly committed by King's 12- and 13-year-old sons, Derek and Alex King; and Stolen in the Night, (SMP) about the horrific Joseph Edward Duncan III case out of Idaho. Love, Lies, and Murder is about the riveting Perry March case, the shady Nashville lawyer who was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Janet, and for plotting the murders of Janet's parents, from Pinnacle Books.
King's television appearances have included Entertainment Tonight, Larry King Live, Inside Edition, Court TV, MSNBC's Headliners and Legends, E!, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Extra TV, and several other programs. He also frequently provides radio interviews. Upcoming interviews include an episode of Biography about serial killer Robert "Willie" Pickton, the subject of Butcher, and an episode of Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice called "Strange Bedfellows," about the murder of Nevada State Controller Kathy Augustine and the subject of King's An Almost Perfect Murder.
King is an active member of the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, American Crime Writers League, American Society of Journalists and Authors, The Crime Writers' Association (U.K.), National Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists, International Thriller Writers, Investigative Reporters and Editors (I.R.E.), and the International Association of Crime Writers.
King is represented by Peter Miller of PMA Literary and Film Management.
This review is from: Angels of Death (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
Very subjective. Author seems to be biased somewhat. Having followed the case of these two boys since it's inception, I have some grave doubts about how the whole tragic situation was handled and also as to whom was the guilty party. £ance.
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This review is from: Angels of Death (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
I am a big fan of Gary C King.I have read all of his books this one was a sad and disturbing account of 2 boys who led a pretty bad life and the father who did the best he could but ended up paying for it with his life..I dont feel that justice was fully served in this case..You'll have to read the book to understand.I look forward to more books by Mr.King this wasnt one of my alltime favorites by Mr King Those would be Driven to Kill, Bloodlust and Web of Deceit. But I recommend it to all True Crime readers!
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This review is from: Angels of Death (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
Best book i have read all year! Mr King puts it all together in a book i could not put down till i was finished! What a horrible tragedy all the way around for this family!Mr. King is a fantastic author! Thank you, kenojude
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First Sentence:
Shortly before 1:30 A.M. on Monday, November 26, 2001, Cantonment, Florida, resident Ed Harris awoke from a sound sleep to a "popping" noise that was coming from a nearby house. Read the first pageKey Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
tampering with evidence, aluminum baseball bat, convicted child molester, fire investigators
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Terry King, Rick Chavis, Derek King, Judge Bell, Alex King, Escambia County Jail, Muscogee Road, Angels of Death, Nancy Lay, Pensacola News Journal, Deputy Reggie Jernigan, Escambia County Sheriff's Department, James Stokes, Kelly Marino, Ransom Middle School, Ricky Chavis, Sharon Potter, Frank Lay, Joyce Tracy, Escambia County Sheriff's Office, Janet French, Michael Rollo, Tom Thumb, Santa Rosa County, Wilbur King
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