Bio

Alvin Lee King III was born in 1935.  He was a former high school mathematics teacher who became infamous for perpetrating the Daingerfield church shooting in Texas on June 22, 1980. He was married to Gretchen King and had children, including a daughter named Cynthia and a son named Alvin Lee King IV.

King had a reputation in Daingerfield as intelligent but unusual. He had once taught at Daingerfield High School, but he later left teaching. Some accounts state that he later earned a doctorate and worked outside education, including work connected to trucking. He eventually lived more privately on a rural property near Hughes Springs, Texas.

King’s earlier life also included a major family tragedy. In 1966, while visiting his parents in Corpus Christi, Texas, he accidentally shot and killed his father while handling a shotgun. The death was ruled accidental.

By 1980, King was facing an incest trial involving his daughter. The case was scheduled to begin the day after the church shooting. Before the attack, King reportedly asked several members of First Baptist Church in Daingerfield to testify as character witnesses for him. They refused. This refusal was later described by investigators and reporters as a likely motive for the church shooting.

Murder Story

On the morning of June 22, 1980, members of First Baptist Church in Daingerfield, Texas, were gathered for a Sunday service. The church was full, and the congregation was singing when Alvin Lee King III entered the building dressed in military-style clothing. He was armed with multiple weapons, including an AR-15-style rifle, a carbine, and handguns.

Before going to the church, King had tied his wife to a chair at their home. He reportedly told her he loved her and did not want to hurt her. He then left the house and drove to the church. King entered the church during the service and shouted, “This is war.” He then opened fire on the congregation. The shooting happened quickly and caused panic inside the church. Several people were hit before members of the congregation tried to stop him or force him out of the building.

Five people were killed in the attack. The victims included two women, two men, and one young girl. Several other people were wounded. Some reports list ten injured, while others list eleven. The attack became one of the deadliest church shootings in United States history at that time.

After leaving the church, King went across the street to a fire station. There, he attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head. The wound was not fatal. He was taken into custody and later charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.

King’s criminal case did not reach a full murder trial. Questions were raised about whether he was mentally competent to assist in his defense. In January 1982, a hearing was underway to determine whether the competency proceeding should be moved to another county. On January 19, 1982, before he was due back in court, King was found hanged in his cell at the Morris County Jail. Authorities said he used strips of a towel to hang himself.

King died before trial, he was never convicted or sentenced for the Daingerfield church murders.