Rodney King, Police Beating Victim, to Marry Juror Who Awarded Him $3.8 Million, Says Report
LOS ANGELES (CBS/KTLA) Rodney King, whose videotaped beating by police officers, and subsequent acquittal of the officers allegedly involved, led to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, is reportedly set to marry one of the jurors who awarded him $3.8 million in his 1994 civil suit against the city.
The 44-year-old recently proposed to Cynthia Kelley, who served as juror number five, RadarOnline reports.
In March 1991, television stations broadcast an amateur videotape of LAPD officers clubbing the unarmed King.
Video of the beating was first aired on CBS affiliate KTLA.
Replayed again and again, the short, brutal clip riveted the nation and became a symbol of racism and police brutality in America.
The officers allegedly involved were tried and acquitted in 1992, sparking the Los Angeles riots which lasted four days and left 55 people dead.
King and Kelley say their connection began shortly after his civil trial the following year. Both were married to other people at the time and have since divorced.
The pair reunited four months ago.
"She is a godsend, a blessing in my life," King told Radar. Kelly was reportedly one of the jurors who pushed for King to be compensated for his pain and suffering and she told Radar that many of the jurors didn't want him to get a dime, telling Radar "It was a blessing that I was even there."
No wedding date has been announced.