Morley Vernon King Explained

Morley Vernon King
Birth Date:20 October 1901
Birth Place:Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
Death Place:San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, California, U.S.
Charge:Murder
Nationality:American
Race:White
Gender:Male
Height:6 feet, 1 inch
Weight:210 pounds
Spouse:Helen King (deceased)
Conviction Penalty:Life imprisonment
Conviction Status:Deceased
Added Date:March 15, 1950
Caught Date:October 31, 1951
Number:2
Status:Captured

Morley Vernon King (October 20, 1901  - September 5, 1954) was an American murderer who was the second person to be listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. King murdered his wife Helen in 1947 and was sought as a fugitive since that year. At their inceptions in 1949 and 1950, King was among the first to be listed on the Most Wanted Fugitives list and Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Background

Morley Vernon King was born in West Virginia on October 20, 1901, and ran away from home at age 15.[1] King traveled extensively throughout Europe for several years and lived in Casablanca, Morocco, where he, an accomplished chef and restaurateur, owned and operated a hotel and bar and met and married his wife Helen in 1929.[2] The Kings returned to the United States in 1934 and lived in New Orleans, where they operated another restaurant. At the time of Helen's murder, King was working at the dining room at a hotel in San Luis Obispo, California.[3]

Murder of Helen King

On July 9, 1947, the dead body of Helen King was found in a trunk under the back porch of the hotel where her husband worked.[4] She had apparently been strangled to death, and further investigation showed that she had been killed on July 1.[5] Morley King had not been at his job at the hotel the day prior to the discovery, having left California at about three in the morning that day. The car which King had been seen driving was recovered in Montana roughly a year later.[6] King was formally charged with Helen's murder on July 12, 1947, and on July 18, a warrant was issued for his arrest.[7]

Manhunt and capture

The FBI reported that King walked with a limp due to one leg being slightly shorter than the other, and spoke Spanish, French, and Italian.[5] The FBI additionally reported that due to his experience as an accomplished chef and restaurateur, and his extensive travel outside the United States, he could possibly be working at a restaurant specializing in foreign food. On March 15, 1950, King became the second person to be listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.[8] Prior to that, King had been listed on the non-sequential Most Wanted List at its inception in 1949.[9]

King was traced to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania through an order for a shoe specially made to accommodate his limp,[10] and was arrested without incident on October 31, 1951, in the kitchen of a Philadelphia seafood restaurant where he had been working under an assumed identity.[11] Upon his arrest, King had been shucking oysters and reportedly said, "I wondered when the FBI would get me."[12] [13] After his arrest, King's bail was set at $100,000 and he was detained to await extradition to California.[14]

Aftermath

Shortly after King's arrest, he was succeeded on the Ten Most Wanted List by escaped convict Raymond Edward Young.[15] While in custody, King refused to discuss details of his wife's murder, but cooperated with the authorities.[16] On November 13, 1951, King was extradited to California to face legal action for the murder.[17] King's preliminary hearing began on December 3.[18] He initially pleaded not guilty,[19] but later changed his plea to guilty to a second-degree murder charge.[20] On March 13, 1952, King was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of five years[21] [22] and was transferred to the California Institution for Men in Chino to serve his sentence.[20] King died of heart failure at San Quentin State Prison on September 5, 1954, at age 52.[23]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Lee . James . 10 Most Wanted U.S. Criminals . 26 March 2023 . Ohio Daily Express . INS . Paige H. Strickland . June 20, 1951.
  2. News: Hearing For Mate in Trunk Murder . 26 March 2023 . San Mateo Times . Amphlett Publishing . November 1, 1951.
  3. News: Lee . James . Body in Trunk Launches Search for Wife-Slayer . 21 April 2023 . Lansing State Journal . INS . June 21, 1951.
  4. News: Larsen . Douglas . 'Slick Willie' Steals Stage as Outlaw Prize . 26 March 2023 . Rhinelander Daily News . NEA . Northwoods Media LLC.
  5. News: FBI Asks Aid in Roundup of '10 Most Wanted Criminals' . 26 March 2023 . The Daily Review . November 20, 1950.
  6. News: Trail of Fugitive Leads Into Montana, FBI Says . 13 April 2023 . The Independent-Record . Associated Press . May 8, 1948.
  7. News: Lee . James . Suspect in Slaying of Wife Is High On G-Men's List of '10 Most Wanted' . 21 April 2023 . Fort Worth Star-Telegram . INS . March 16, 1950.
  8. Web site: Lee . James . FBI names 10 men on 'most wanted' list . UPI . 26 March 2023.
  9. News: Donovan . James F. . FBI's 'MOST WANTED FUGITIVES' NAMED . 26 March 2023 . The Washington Daily News . February 7, 1949.
  10. News: Relates How King Was Taken . 13 April 2023 . The Tribune . January 3, 1952.
  11. News: Most Wanted List Publicity Helps Capture . 26 March 2023 . Bakersfield Califnorian . November 19, 1951.
  12. News: FBI Captures San Luis Trunk Slaying Figure . 13 April 2023 . UP . November 1, 1951.
  13. News: Wife Killer Suspect Seized Shucking Oysters . 13 April 2023 . The Honolulu Advertiser . UP . November 1, 1951.
  14. News: Trunk-Slaying Suspect Held Under Bond of $100, 000 . 13 April 2023 . The Salt Lake Tribune . INS . November 2, 1951.
  15. News: Lee . James . New Face Listed Among Those Most Wanted By The FBI . 13 April 2023 . The Daily Sentinel-Tribune . INS . November 14, 1951.
  16. News: Sarber . John . KING WON'T TALK ABOUT SLAYING . 22 April 2023 . The Tribune . November 15, 1951.
  17. News: KING BEING RETURNED . Bakersfield Califnorian . INS . November 13, 1951.
  18. News: King Preliminary Hearing Continued . 13 April 2023 . Santa Barbara News-Press . VNS . December 4, 1951.
  19. News: News Highlights of 1951 from San Luis County . 13 April 2023 . Santa Barbara News-Press . VNS . December 30, 1951.
  20. News: Sarber . John . Morley King Talks--but Not of Murder Details . 13 April 2023 . The Tribune . March 15, 1952.
  21. News: One of FBI's Ten Most Wanted Men Gets Murder Sentence . 13 April 2023 . Los Angeles Evening Citizen News . Associated Press . March 14, 1952.
  22. Book: Swierczynski . Duane . The Encyclopedia of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List . February 4, 2014 . Skyhorse Publishing . 9781628739060 . 32 . 26 March 2023.
  23. News: Death of Quentin Lifer Revealed . 26 March 2023 . San Rafael Daily Independent Journal . September 23, 1954.