James E. King, a 68-year-old White male, died on May 28, 2014, after being fatally shot inside his home in Smyrna, Delaware. His death brought a tragic end to a marriage that had lasted more than 34 years and had reportedly been marked by repeated incidents of domestic violence. The person responsible for the shooting was his wife, Amanda G. King, who was subsequently arrested and prosecuted.
What initially appeared to investigators as a domestic homicide would eventually become a complicated legal case involving allegations of longstanding abuse, severe emotional distress, and conflicting perspectives from the families affected by the tragedy.
At approximately 3:06 a.m. on Wednesday, May 28, 2014, the Kent County Emergency Operations Center received a 911 call originating from a residence on Sugar Maple Lane in the Willowwood development of Smyrna. The call disconnected almost immediately, prompting a dispatcher to call the residence back. Amanda King, then 57 years old, answered the telephone and told the dispatcher that she had shot her husband. Delaware State Police troopers, along with officers from the Smyrna and Clayton police departments, were dispatched to the home to investigate the reported shooting.
When officers arrived, they found James lying just inside the residence near a staircase, suffering from a single gunshot wound to his upper torso. Emergency personnel transported him to Kent General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy performed by the Delaware Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that his death resulted from a single gunshot wound and classified the manner of death as homicide. Investigators recovered a Glock. 45-caliber semiautomatic handgun from the kitchen, which was identified during the initial investigation as the weapon associated with the shooting.
Amanda was taken into custody at the residence without incident. She was transported to Delaware State Police Troop 3, where she was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Following her arrest, she was taken to Kent General Hospital for medical issues unrelated to the shooting before being transferred to the Delaware Department of Correction. She was initially held without bail while authorities continued investigating the circumstances surrounding her husband's death.
As the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings unfolded, a history of domestic violence within the marriage became central to the case. Court proceedings revealed that the couple had experienced numerous domestic disturbances throughout their relationship. According to information presented during sentencing, authorities had documented 22 reported domestic violence incidents dating back to the mid-1980s, some of which had resulted in convictions. The court also heard that Amanda had previously attempted to leave the marriage but had been unsuccessful.
James had served in both the United States Army and Marine Corps and was described during the proceedings as a decorated military veteran who completed two tours of duty in Vietnam. He had attained the rank of gunnery sergeant. Although he had provided financial support for his wife, testimony and arguments presented during sentencing described a troubled relationship that included allegations of degrading treatment and abuse. The court acknowledged a history of domestic violence involving both spouses, while the defense emphasized the emotional and psychological effects that years of conflict had reportedly had on Amanda.
Defense attorney Anthony Capone described Amanda as someone who had experienced domestic violence from an early age and whose adult relationships had continued that pattern. Her defense maintained that she had endured years of mistreatment and that the shooting occurred while she was experiencing severe emotional distress. Capone portrayed the relationship as emotionally complicated, explaining that James had been both the person she loved and the person she believed had caused her considerable suffering. The defense argued that this history was essential to understanding the circumstances surrounding the fatal confrontation.
The criminal proceedings ultimately ended with Amanda pleading guilty to manslaughter rather than proceeding to a trial on the original first-degree murder charge. Her guilty plea established her criminal responsibility for James's death while allowing the court to consider the circumstances surrounding the shooting when determining her punishment.
On March 30, 2016, Amanda appeared in Kent County Superior Court for sentencing before Resident Judge William L. Witham Jr. During a hearing lasting approximately 55 minutes, the court reviewed the circumstances of the homicide, the couple's history of domestic violence, and the emotional consequences of the shooting. Judge Witham acknowledged that Amanda had been raised in an environment where domestic violence was a regular part of life and had subsequently experienced similar difficulties in three significant adult relationships.
The judge also considered the documented history of violence between James and Amanda, including her unsuccessful efforts to leave the marriage. While those circumstances were considered mitigating factors, the court recognized that the shooting had permanently devastated members of both families. Judge Witham described the consequences as tragic and emphasized that the killing had left lasting emotional damage extending beyond the two people directly involved.
During the sentencing hearing, James's daughter, Lisa King, addressed the court and urged the judge to impose the maximum available punishment. She strongly disagreed with the prospect of a relatively short prison term, maintaining that her father's life had been taken and that no sentence could restore what her family had lost. After the hearing, Lisa expressed disappointment with the outcome, stating that she did not believe justice had been served. She characterized her father's death as murder and considered four years of incarceration an inadequate punishment.
Prosecutors also sought a sentence substantially greater than the mandatory minimum. Deputy Attorney General Greg Babowal argued that Amanda had previously had opportunities to seek assistance through law enforcement and other state agencies. He maintained that the consequences of the shooting were irreversible and that the court needed to consider the seriousness of taking another person's life. The prosecution acknowledged the broader tragedy of domestic violence while emphasizing that James's death required meaningful criminal accountability.
After considering the arguments from both sides, Judge Witham sentenced Amanda to 25 years in prison, with the sentence suspended after four years of incarceration. She was also ordered to serve two years of Level III probation following her release, pay $5,000 in restitution to a victim's fund, and satisfy additional court costs and conditions. The sentence reflected the judge's consideration of the manslaughter conviction, Amanda's personal history, and the circumstances presented during the proceedings. Her attorney noted that sentencing guidelines called for approximately two to five years of incarceration and that she had maintained a favorable institutional record while awaiting resolution of the case.
The outcome generated sharply different reactions. For Amanda's defense, the sentence acknowledged the prolonged domestic turmoil that preceded the shooting and the severe emotional distress described in court. For James's family, particularly his daughter, the punishment failed to reflect the magnitude of their loss. Their objections underscored the painful divide between considering an offender's experiences of abuse and recognizing the permanent consequences of a homicide.
Following James's death, additional legal proceedings arose concerning the couple's Smyrna property. In a separate civil mortgage action, court records confirmed that James E. King Jr. had died on May 28, 2014, and identified his surviving children as Lisa Denise King, James E. King III, and Kenneth Maurice King. The dispute concerned mortgage obligations and the ownership interests associated with the property following his death. In March 2017, the Delaware Superior Court granted summary judgment in favor of the mortgage company. Although unrelated to determining criminal responsibility for the shooting, the proceedings reflected some of the financial and legal complications that followed his death.
James's homicide was ultimately resolved through Amanda's manslaughter conviction and sentencing in 2016. No additional suspects or arrests were identified in connection with the fatal shooting in the available reporting. The case remains a stark example of the devastating consequences of prolonged domestic conflict, leaving behind a family divided by grief, conflicting accounts of the marriage, and differing views of justice. For James's surviving children and loved ones, his death represented the permanent loss of a father and military veteran whose life ended inside his own home during the early morning hours of May 28, 2014.
