In the late autumn of 2020, a simmering property dispute in the quiet community of Liberty, Kentucky, tragically boiled over, ending the life of 33-year-old Elza King. A man known for his skill as a dozer operator and his enjoyment of hunting and working with heavy equipment, King was a family man, survived by his wife, Gerria Monroe King. On November 4, 2020, on a piece of land on Calhoun Creek, south of Liberty, a verbal altercation escalated to a fatal confrontation.
The dispute was
with his uncle, 58-year-old Randall Atwood, over a piece of family property that both men felt they had a claim to. Elza King was in the process of purchasing land adjacent to Atwood's property, a transaction that appears to have been the final catalyst for the long-standing disagreement. During the heated argument that Wednesday evening, Atwood retrieved a firearm and shot his nephew. King was rushed to the Casey County Hospital, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Following the shooting, the Kentucky State Police Post 15, with assistance from the Casey County Sheriff's Department and the Liberty Police Department, launched an investigation. The inquiry led to the arrest of Randall Atwood, who was subsequently charged with murder. He was taken into custody and lodged in the Casey County Detention Center. Atwood was later arraigned in Casey District Court, where his bond was set at $1 million. The community was left to mourn the loss of Elza King, a life cut short by a familial conflict that ended in violence.
