LANCASTER – A jury reached a verdict of death Tuesday for 24-year-old Corey Lynn King, the man who murdered a woman and her three young daughters in 2008 and then set their Lancaster home on fire.
On Sept. 9, 2008, Sonya Durfield Harris and her three daughters, Ebony Horton, Melinda Harris, and Kayla Clark, were found dead in separate areas of their burning home in the 1500 block of East Avenue J-3 in Lancaster.
Harris, 43, was stabbed more than 50 times; 13-year-old Ebony was stabbed more than 60 times; 11-year-old Melinda was stabbed, beaten and stomped to death; and 9-year-old Kayla was strangled, according to Deputy District Attorney Robert Sherwood.
Evidence at trial revealed that King, a family friend, murdered everyone inside the home during the early morning hours of Sept. 9, 2008. Following the killings, King drove to a nearby gas station in the family’s car, filled up several bottles with gasoline, poured it on the victims and throughout the house, and then set the bodies and the home on fire.
King was found guilty on Nov. 25 of four counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and torture for three of the victims.
King also was found guilty of arson of an inhabited structure and grand theft auto.
Sherwood said that a motive for the murder of Sonya Harris was unclear but added that the children were murdered because they were witnesses to their mother’s murder.
During the penalty phase of the trial, the jury heard evidence that King committed another murder in May 2008 in Altadena. In that case, King allegedly bludgeoned a 90-year-old woman to death and then set her house on fire, Sherwood said.
King is due back in court on Feb. 20.
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Man guilty in 2008 murders of Lancaster woman and three young daughters
bay bay says
Impossible to believe one kid did all that by his self y’all got to know media lie and put they story the way they want it to go it’s sad for both parties
fact vs opnion says
he acted alone. He’s admitted it. research before you type. sad for family who can no longer hugged those sweet children.
irritated says
What justice is this family truly getting. This family will never truly get justice. The only justice this family could ever get is if this monster got the same fate he doled out for the family. This monster should only face exactly what he gave in the crime he committed. There is no justice for this monster. I pray what is left of this family can get some peace in knowing this monster is no longer on the street.
callitasitis says
The jury has spoken now let us see if the MONSTER actually gets his date with death. The death sentence is NEVER imposed in less than 25 years in the Republic of California. We can all be dead before this monster gets his date and the public memory gets very cloudy.
natalie says
Finally justice somewhat for this family..Its very sad and unfortunate this happened to this family.
Angela Walton says
So very sad and he definitely don’t deserve to live. Prayers goes out to the family.
Danny says
Wish they would burn him
Jh says
The look on his stupid face reads deranged.
Ashley says
Reading this story put me in tears, to murder innocent children is as low as a person could get. I went to school with one of the victims, I will admit me and her weren’t the best of friends but in the end SHE DID NOT DESERVE WHAT HAPPENED TO HER. This man should receive instant death by torture like he did to the victims, rather then being allowed to go on death row which can take up to 20 year. Also, it is pathetic that it toke them SEVEN years to come up with sentencing! The court system has failed yet again, may the victims’ memories live on.
Kev says
He deserves to be tortured as well. When someone is sentenced to death and sent to death row he could stay on death row for over 20 years playing the system. I’m from N.E. Ohio and a perfect example is a pos by the name of Danny Lee Hill. Google his name and you’ll see the horrendous act of killing he did as well as manipulate the court system since 1985. The judicial system needs changed bad. One appeal with DNA in 12 months then if he/she is innocent, set them free, if not fry them in the 13th month….That way we don’t have to pay for them as they get their degrees, etc.
speedy boy says
LOW LIFE
bird says
When I read that last paragraph! Why was he walking the streets?
Stinger says
Seems the two crimes were close enough that he had not yet been caught for the other crime, yet. He was still only a “person of interest” in the other crime at the time that this happened.