Phillip King
Born: March 28, 1973, Washington, DC, USA
Died: October 1, 1987 (age 14), Arlington, VA, USA
🕒 Timeline
Phillip King was the older of Joe and Amanda King’s two sons, born almost exactly nine months after they got married. He was born at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, but the family moved to Arlington, VA, shortly after his first birthday. He did not remember living in Washington.
He was the more outgoing of the two King boys, and showed an early aptitude for — and interest in — sports, particularly baseball and basketball. He was also a capable student when he put his mind to it, but often did not see the point of his schoolwork; unfortunately, his grades often reflected that lack of effort and interest. Even so, when he finished eighth grade he was “tracked” into the college preparatory program for high school.
Due to his gregariousness and naturally friendly nature, Phillip had no trouble finding dates once he became interested in girls. However, in seventh and eighth grade his mother forbade him from more than the most casual of dating before he started high school — and, as it happened, he didn’t have a girlfriend at the beginning of his freshman year. While this frustrated him, it didn’t embitter him. He had every reason to believe it was a temporary situation.
Phillip was relatively adaptable and, as he started high school, he enjoyed strong relationships with his immediate family members, including his mother’s ostensible boyfriend, Lee Stetson. He had a cordial relationship with his stepmother Carrie, and they had begun growing closer.
Unfortunately, on October 1, 1987, Phillip and his grandmother were killed in a car crash in Arlington. Subsequent investigation showed that the crash was a targeted “hit” based on a misunderstanding about a school project Phillip had been completing. Effects of the crash and his early death reverberated through the family for years afterward.
Phillip King was portrayed by Paul Stout.
Timeline
| March 28, 1973 | Born, Washington, DC, USA |
| August 21, 1978 | Begins school at Arlington Heights Elementary School (K-8) in Arlington, VA, USA |
| August 17, 1987 | Begins at Arlington-Lincoln High School (9-12) in Arlington, VA, USA |
| October 1, 1987 | Killed in a vehicle crash, Arlington, VA, USA |