Morley Vernon King

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. She had been strangled to death, and further investigation showed that she had been killed on July 1. King was formally charged with Helen's murder on July 12, 1947, and on July 18, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

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. Prior to that, King had been listed on the non-sequential Most Wanted List at its inception in 1949.

King was traced to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania through an order for a shoe specially made to accommodate his limp, 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. Upon his arrest, King had been shucking oysters and reportedly said, "I wondered when the FBI would get me." After his arrest, King's bail was set at $100,000 and he was detained to await extradition to California.

Aftermath Shortly after King's arrest, he was succeeded on the Ten Most Wanted List by escaped convict Raymond Edward Young. While in custody, King refused to discuss details of his wife's murder, but cooperated with the authorities. On November 13, 1951, King was extradited to California to face legal action for the murder. King's preliminary hearing began on December 3. He initially pleaded not guilty, but later changed his plea to guilty to a second-degree murder charge. On March 13, 1952, King was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of five years and was transferred to the California Institution for Men in Chino to serve his sentence.