A Perversion of Justice: A Southern Tragedy of Murder, Lies and Innocence Betrayed

A startling look inside one of the most fascinating cases of last year––the murder of Terry King, the conviction of his 12 and 13–year old sons, and the pedophile who was accused of being an accessory.

On November 26, 2001, Terry King was found dead in his recliner in his home in Pensacola, Florida. Though a fire had been set in an attempt to cover up the scene, the evidence was indisputable––he had been beaten to death with a baseball bat. Days later, King's two young sons, 12 and 13 and not even five feet tall each, were found hiding out in the mobile home of their close friend, Rick Chavis, a convicted pedophile who had recently become very close to 12–year old Alex. In parallel statements, Alex and Derek confessed to murdering their father, and soon, they became the two youngest people ever to stand on trial for murder in the state of Florida.

But in a startling twist, the prosecution decided to do the unprecedented––try the boys for murder in one trial and Rick Chavis for murder in another, despite the boys' confessions. And in a case that gripped the state of Florida and hit headlines across the nation, convictions came down and were soon overturned. But in the end, the case became a series of missed opportunities, stunning reversals, and one of the most riveting true crime stories of the last decade.

Kathryn Medico lives in South Florida and teaches writing classes.

Mollye Barrows is a news anchor and reporter for the ABC affiliate in Pensacola, Florida.