Bank robber who held gun to Paula Deen’s head in 1987 heist found dead in NYC
The man who gained notoriety for robbing celebrity chef Paula Deen at a bank in 1987 was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment on Thursday.
Eugene Thomas King, Jr., 75, was discovered unconscious by police and pronounced dead by EMS, according to reports. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner later confirmed he died of natural causes, specifically hypertensive and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
King became infamous for holding up a bank where Deen, not yet famous at the time, was working as a teller. Deen later recalled to police that King “never took the gun out of my face.” King was convicted of the robbery and served time in prison. In a statement, he asked authorities to relay an apology to Deen, saying, “I never intended to hurt anyone.”
King remained largely out of the public eye until 2013, when Deen referenced the robbery during a deposition for a lawsuit. In that case, a manager of one of Deen’s restaurants alleged sexual and racial harassment by the chef and her brother. Deen admitted to using racial language in response to the bank robbery, saying, “It was probably when a black man burst into the bank that I was working at and put a gun to my head.”
Deen’s admission became widely publicized and had a significant impact on her career, while also drawing attention back to King. When asked about the incident in 2013, King told Inside Edition, “I really feel for her. She’s being persecuted because of that one little mistake in her judgment. She was acting out of anger.”
The NYPD referred questions about King’s death to the city medical examiner, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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