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.”
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