As the world’s most famous boxing promoter, Don King has promoted some of history’s biggest fights featuring legends like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. However, long before his career success, King endured a tough legal battle and jail sentence that nearly ruined his life. The incredible story of how King fought for justice and his freedom reveals the determination that fueled his later achievements.
The Crime and Controversial Conviction
Manslaughter Charges
In 1966, Don King was accused of shooting and killing an employee who owed him $600. King claimed self-defense but was charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors sought life in prison.
Questionable Trial Proceedings
Multiple issues plagued King’s trial in 1967, including:
- An all-white jury despite King being black
- King represented himself with no legal experience
- Dubious ballistics testimony by the prosecution
Ultimately, an Ohio jury convicted King of nonnegligent manslaughter.
Harsh Sentence
For the manslaughter conviction, the judge gave King a severe sentence: 15 years in Ohio State Penitentiary. King’s family was distraught and vowed to fight the conviction.
Doing Hard Time
At age 35, Don King began serving hard time in one of Ohio’s toughest prisons.
Deplorable Conditions
King described overcrowded, vermin-infested cells where violence always loomed. As one of few black inmates, he faced constant racial threats. Prison was bleak and dangerous.
Coping and Planning
To endure prison, King read voraciously, wrote an autobiography, and planned business ideas. He also befriended the warden to improve conditions. After 4 years behind bars, King remained hopeful his conviction would get overturned.
The Fight for Freedom
Appeals Process
King’s lawyers fought his conviction, alleging institutional racism and an unjust trial. After losing initial appeals in lower courts, the case reached the Ohio Supreme Court in 1972.
Conviction Overturned
In a landmark decision, the Ohio Supreme Court unanimously overturned King’s conviction, ruling he did not receive a fair trial. After 4 long years, King finally won his freedom.
Homecoming and Redemption
King was released in April 1972 into the arms of his family and supporters who celebrated his redemption. King saw his experience as a reawakening that drove him to help fellow ex-convicts rebuild their lives after prison.
King’s Later Success
- After prison, King dove into promoting boxing matches in Cleveland.
- His charisma and hustle led to major promotions in the 1980s.
- He helped negotitate some of boxing’s biggest fights and contracts.
- By the 2000s, King was worth over $150 million and inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
King succeeded wildly despite his tarnished past.
Conclusion
Don King’s against-the-odds legal victory after wrongful imprisonment is inspiring. Though prison derailed his life temporarily, the lessons learned behind bars drove King to unimaginable business success. His comeback from injustice to promote boxing legends embodies the American dream. Now in his 90s, King’s amazing life proves the human spirit cannot be caged.