Quotes from the rodney king trial

Stacey Koon testimony. I heard the driver [King] scream. There is no doubt in my mind that he [Powell] hit Mr. King repeatedly in the face. I will never forget it to the day I die. That's what I felt like, like a crushed can all over, and my spirits were down real low. I think he went brain-dead. They were out there stealing and looting and assaulting, and while they were looting most of them were laughing. In , he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of the drug PCP, after he lost control of his SUV and slammed into a power pole in Rialto, California.

In , he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, and in , police found him drunk with non-life threatening gunshot wounds also believed to be the result of a domestic dispute. Upon the 20th anniversary of the L. My country's been good to me, and I've done some things that wasn't pleasant in my lifetime, and I've been forgiven for that. In a final tragic twist, Rodney King's life ended on June 17, His fiancee, Cynthia Kelley, found him at the bottom of a swimming pool in Rialto, California.

Kelley had previously served as a juror in King's civil law suit against the City of Los Angeles. According to police who responded to the scene, there were no preliminary signs of foul play.

King was pronounced dead at a local hospital, 20 years after the L. Upon the 25th anniversary of the L. Riots, a slew of documentaries were released in the spring of Among them were L.

We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Martin Luther King Jr. After his assassination, he was memorialized by Martin Luther King Jr. Rodney Alcala was an American serial killer whose good looks and high IQ helped him lure victims. Rodney Dangerfield was a stand-up comedian and actor known for his "I don't get no respect" routine.

He starred in the hit movie comedies, 'Caddyshack' and 'Back to School,' during the s. The case known as the Rodney King Trial was based on footage recorded on home video by a bystander George Holliday. The now-famous video was broadcast nationally and caused tremendous response because the beating was believed to be racially motivated. Selecting Simi Valley as a venue for the trial is believed to be motivated by the predominantly white ethnic make-up of the city at the time.

On April 29, , a Ventura County jury acquitted three of the four officers Koon, Wind, and Brisenio and did not reach a verdict on one Powell.