Danny King

Danny King was found guilty of the 1990 capital murder of Mrs. Carolyn Rogers. Mrs. Rogers, a realtor, was fatally beaten and stabbed while showing a house to potential buyers. During several different interviews with different lawyers and detectives, King made contradictory statements about the murder, sometimes accepting blame, sometimes blaming his partner, Becky and other times blaming a hitman with various names. During the trial the defense tried to prove that Becky had delivered the stab wounds and that his confessions were his way of trying to protect her from harm. During his testimony, King implicated Becky and stated that the murdered occurred because Mrs. Roger's son owed Becky a drug debt. Evidence was given that Becky had made threatening remarks in the past, and several of her former coworkers testified that she "had a knife and was willing to use it if necessary." Despite the testimony of King and Becky's former coworkers, the jury still found him guilty of capital murder. King appealed because "the evidence, even when viewed in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, is "essentially in equipoise" as to whether he or Becky inflicted the fatal stab, 345 S.E.2d 267, 280 (Va.1986). wound." His appeal was denied.

During the sentencing portion of his trial, King's wife Gail testified that he had been a hard-working father who idolized their daughter until he met Becky. After he began a relationship with her he began to abuse drugs and alcohol. In addition, Dr. Moody, a forensic psychologist, "testified that King was not likely to pose a threat or danger to anyone if he were incarcerated." King would not pose a continuing threat to society if he were confined in prison. Dr. Moody also stated that King's prison record demonstrated that King generally received good evaluations and had excellent work performance." Also during the sentencing part of the trial, evidence of substantial childhood abuse was revealed. King's mother gave detailed testimony of the extensive beatings and verbal abuse that King suffered at the hands of his father. Mrs. King "testified that King suffered more abuse than his siblings because King adored his father and would stay close to him. She also told the jury that King's father often called King crazy, stupid or unnecessary and denied being King's father. She stated that the abuse began when King was a baby and continued throughout his childhood." Although a psychiatrist pointed to the abuse as the cause for King's inclination toward violence and that it could be treatable, the jury sentenced him to death.

King also appealed because remarks which he made without the presence of an attorney were used against him during trial. Although he stated specifically that he wanted to talk with lawyer's representing the Commonwealth, Becky and himself present, the Appellate court denied his appeal because he had previously told the detectives they could ask him anything they wanted, waiving his Miranda rights.

In addition, King appealed on the basis of his lawyer's lack of competency. He lists several reasons why his attorney's failed to provide a suitable defense including their neglect to introduce incriminating letters that were exchanged between Becky and King, to rebut Becky's testimony and to introduce evidence which would have implicated Becky as the killer.

King was executed on July 23, 1998.