Pensacola, Fla.
A Florida judge has ordered a new trial for two boys convicted of beating their father to death last year. The boys—Alex King, 13, and his brother, Derek, 14—confessed to the crime, then recanted and blamed family friend Ricky Chavis, 40. Alex said he had had a sexual relationship with Chavis, a convicted child molester, and had lied to protect him. Faced with conflicting stories, prosecutors tried Chavis for the crime in one courtroom, and the boys in another. Without the full evidence in the case, a jury acquitted Chavis. In their trial, the brothers were found guilty and sent to prison. The case attracted the attention of former talk-show host Rosie O’Donnell, who hired lawyers to fight for a new trial. “The case was tugging at her heartstrings,” lawyer Jayne Weintraub said. “She was offended by what happened to these kids.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
6 tips to shop online safely this holiday seasonThe Explainer Lower the chances of credit card fraud spoiling your holidays
-
The daily gossip: Anya Taylor-Joy leads epic 'Furiosa' trailer, Felicity Huffman felt she 'had to break the law' in college admissions scandal, and more
The daily gossip: December 1, 2023
-
What's Qatar's role in the Middle East conflict?
Today's Big Question Doha hosts both Hamas and a U.S. military base. That puts it at the center of the conflict in Gaza.
