Shivangi Sinha
In November 2001, the remains of Terry King were discovered inside his home in Cantonment, Florida. He had been seated in a chair when he was repeatedly struck with a blunt object, and the house was later set on fire. The crime raised many questions, as Terry was considered an ordinary man who lived a routine life, making it difficult to determine who would want to harm him. However, by the following day, police had arrested two suspects. ID’s ‘People Magazine Investigates: Playing With Fire’ examines the case’s timeline and explores the motives behind the killing.
Terry King Was Attacked at His Home Which Was Later Set on Fire
Terry King was born on April 17, 1961, to Wilbur Eugene King and Thelma Joyce Robinson. He was raised in the Cantonment area of Florida and lived a largely ordinary life. Although he did not complete high school, he later met Janet French and fell deeply in love with her. The couple welcomed their first son, Derek King, in 1988, followed by their younger son, Alex King, in 1989. While Terry and Janet never married, they remained devoted to their children and worked to provide a stable and secure home. In 1992, the couple separated but continued living together. By 1994, financial hardship made it impossible for them to care for their sons, leading to Derek and Alex being placed in a crisis care center.
Terry’s sons remained at Heritage Christian Academy for about eight months before the facility shut down. After its closure, both boys were placed in foster care. Derek lived with Frank and Nancy Lay in Pace, Florida, while Alex was also placed with a foster family but struggled to adjust and eventually returned to live with his father. During this period, Terry worked as a printer, earning minimum wage, and faced ongoing financial difficulties. He often took Alex with him to work and, at times, stayed with friends. By 1998, Janet had relocated to Kentucky and remarried. Around this time, Terry secured more stable employment, and in 2001, Derek moved back in with Terry and Alex without issue. Both boys were then enrolled at Ransom Middle School in Pensacola, Florida.
On November 14, 2001, Terry contacted the sheriff’s office to report that his sons had not returned home and were missing. The boys later called the station and stated that they did not wish to come back. Derek was found in a nearby forest on November 25, followed by Alex on November 26. It initially appeared that the situation had been resolved and that the family would move forward. However, later on November 26, 2001, police responded to reports of a fire at Terry’s home. Nearly half of the house had burned, and Terry’s remains were discovered in a recliner in the living room with a can of beer beside him. Investigators determined that the fire was not the cause of death; Terry had died from blunt force trauma after being repeatedly struck in the head.
Terry King’s Killers Were Convicted After a Mediation Between the Defense and Prosecution
Police had only just begun investigating the case when, on November 27, Derek and Alex King were brought to the station by a family friend, Ricky Chavis. The brothers alleged that their father had subjected them to ongoing mental and psychological abuse, which they said led them to kill him. They also admitted to setting the house on fire and stated that they then went to Chavis, who allegedly washed their clothes, gave them a place to stay, and brought them to the police the following day. They also alleged that they stayed with Chavis, when they ran away from home a few days before the crime. Both boys were charged with first-degree murder, while Chavis was charged with evidence tampering and as an accessory after the fact. However, investigators soon began to uncover a very different narrative.
According to Alex’s statements and entries in his diary, he claimed that he had been involved in a “sexual relationship” with Chavis, who was a convicted sex offender. Police were aware that Chavis had previously assisted Terry in caring for the boys and had even been authorized to pick them up from school, though Terry had removed him from the approved list shortly before the incident. As the investigation continued, Derek and Alex repeatedly changed their accounts. They later alleged that Chavis had convinced them their father was treating them unfairly and persuaded them to kill him. In another version of events, they claimed that Chavis himself killed their father while they waited outside and then pressured them into lying and accepting responsibility for the crime.
In an unusual turn of events, prosecutors charged Chavis along with Derek and Alex in connection with Terry’s case. In September 2002, the brothers were tried as adults and convicted of the lesser charge of second-degree murder. However, in October 2002, a judge overturned the verdict after determining that due process had not been properly followed. Alex later alleged that he had been assaulted by Chavis, leading to separate charges against him. Proceedings against Derek and Alex continued and were ultimately resolved in November 2002 through mediation, when both brothers pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and arson. Evidence such as their detailed descriptions of the crime scene and their repeatedly changing statements played a key role in securing their convictions.
Alex King Passed Away From a Drug Overdose and Derek King is Facing Unrelated Charges Today
Following their convictions, Derek King was sentenced to eight years in prison, while Alex King received a seven-year sentence. In 2005, while incarcerated, Alex attempted to escape and was subsequently given an additional five years of probation for the offense. During his time in prison, Alex completed his GED and enrolled in a community college, though he did not finish his degree. He was released on April 9, 2008, after which he lived with close friends and family. He also spent time with Kathryn Medico, the co-author of ‘A Perversion of Justice: A Southern Tragedy of Murder, Lies, and Innocence Betrayed,’ a book that argued the brothers were innocent. He reunited with his brother as well.
Derek was released on March 7, 2009, at the age of 20. He spent time living in Texas, Washington, DC, and Virginia, and made plans to attend college, but did not complete a degree. Derek married and had a child, though the marriage later ended in divorce. Over the years, he became involved in multiple legal issues in Virginia and was arrested several times on felony charges, including assault. Alex also married and was able to reconnect with his mother, but he faced ongoing personal struggles. He worked sporadically and was alleged to have developed a dependency on drugs. In 2011, Alex was arrested again after fleeing the scene of a car accident and served two years in prison for violating his parole.
Alex was released from prison in 2013 and eventually moved to Missoula, Montana. On April 23, 2024, he died from a drug overdose. Derek was arrested in June 2025 and charged with felony sexual assault in Milton, Florida. Before his arrest, he spoke publicly about the case and expressed a desire to seek forgiveness from his father. He is believed to remain incarcerated, though few public details have been released regarding the status of his most recent case.
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