Notorious Bank Robber Found Dead in Brooklyn Apartment

Eugene Thomas King Jr., the inmate known for holding disgraced celebrity chef Paula Deen during a 1987 bank robbery, was discovered unconscious in his Brooklyn apartment on Thursday. Emergency services later pronounced him dead that same night.

The coroner attributed his death to natural causes, stating he was 75 years old and had been suffering from high blood pressure and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Interestingly, King gained notoriety when he held Deen, who was not yet famous at the time, at gunpoint as she worked at the bank. Deen recalled in a police statement that King “never took the gun from his face.”

King ultimately faced conviction and served time for the robbery. It’s worth mentioning that he expressed remorse, asking police to apologize to Deen, indicating he “didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

His story remained somewhat low-profile until it resurfaced during a 2013 lawsuit involving Deen. In that case, a former manager at Deen’s restaurant accused her and her brother of sexual and racial harassment. When questioned, Deen acknowledged using racial slurs, including the N-word, and mentioned the traumatic robbery incident. She went on to share that the slur usage came to her mind when a black man robbed the bank.

This revelation significantly impacted Deen’s career while unintentionally bringing King back into the spotlight. Following the event, when he was asked about Deen’s remarks, King expressed sympathy, stating, “I really feel for her. She’s being persecuted for that one little lapse in judgment. She was acting out of anger.”

As for the NYPD, they directed media inquiries to the city’s medical examiner, but no immediate response was available regarding the investigation into King’s death.