Guard: Attorney told teen who killed dad how to commit suicide

PENSACOLA -- A lawyer told a 13-year-old convicted of the baseball bat murder of his father how to commit suicide by swallowing razors and slitting his wrists, a jail house guard says.

Attorney James Stokes told Alex King how to break up and swallow razor blades and described the most effective way to cut one's wrists during a Sept. 16 conference at the Escambia County Jail, according to guard Richie Faunce's report to supervisors. It was obtained by the Pensacola News Journal, which published a story Thursday.

"It's our job to take care of the inmates," Faunce told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing."

Ten days before the meeting, Alex and his 14-year-old brother Derek were convicted as adults of second-degree murder for the Nov. 26 death of their father, Terry King. They face prison terms of 22 years to life when sentenced in December.

Stokes denied discussing suicide methods with King. He told the AP that Faunce took bits and pieces of the conversation "totally out of context." He said he could not explain the context due to attorney-client confidentiality.

He accused the Sheriff's Office of conspiring with prosecutors to derail Alex's appeals process.

"What they want to do is harm him and harm his case by allowing all this jail house gossip and half truths to come out," he said.

Stokes said Alex is not suicidal.

According to the report, Faunce escorted Alex to an interview room for a probation hearing where Stokes was present. After the probation officer left, Stokes and Alex spoke with the door open, Faunce wrote.

According to the report, Stokes told Alex how to slit a wrist, saying "a person should slit the wrist this way and not that way."

"Then Mr. Stokes mentioned something about that it does a better job with the veins," Faunce wrote. "Next, Mr. Stokes mentioned about taking a razor and breaking it a certain way on the bunk and breaking the blade into small pieces."

Stokes reportedly told Alex that people swallow the pieces to "mess up the intestines."

"Mr. Stokes also made a comment that a glass of ice water would help with the pain," the report states.

Escambia sheriff's spokeswoman Rhonda Ray said the report was sent to the State Attorney's Office for possible prosecution. "We don't need to have anyone coming in here and talking to any of our inmates, not just children, about ways to commit suicide," Ray said.

Stokes said he read the News Journal story to Alex on Thursday.

"Alex laughed the entire time I was reading it to him. He thought it was quite funny," Stokes said.

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