An elderly California man, accused of terrorizing his neighbors with a slingshot for nearly a decade, was found dead at his home on Wednesday, just days after his arrest and court appearance. Officers found Prince Raymond King, 81, dead inside his $640,000 bungalow around 7:30 a.m. in leafy Azusa, Los Angeles, police said.
The owner of the home where King was found is still unknown, but Azusa police Sgt. Nick Covarrubias said that there was no “evidence of foul play.” Neighbors had complained for years about their cars, windows, and properties being damaged by tiny metal ball-bearings. Last week, police arrested King after raiding his home and discovering a slingshot.
Strange Coincidence
“Officers got the dispatch regarding a death investigation,” the Asuza Police Department told DailyMail.com on Friday. “Upon arrival at the 500 block of Soldano Avenue they located King deceased and there was no signs of trauma or foul play.”
It is not known whether King died from natural causes or suicide. However, some reports claim King died of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which damages the heart arteries. The death was ruled natural, according to the local medical examiner’s office.
The gray-haired man on Tuesday slowly walked into West Covina Superior Court for his arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty.
King, who wore glasses, was accused of using his slingshot to fire metal ball bearings at his neighbors’ homes and vehicles for the past nine years, according to ABC 7.
He faced five counts of felony vandalism and two counts of misdemeanor vandalism for allegedly targeting his neighbors’ property with the slingshot, breaking numerous house windows and car windshields with the small, hand-powered projectile weapon.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged King with vandalism for incidents occurring from October 2021 to May 2024, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
However, neighbors alleged that King’s slingshot attacks had been occurring since 2015.
Police determined that the ball bearings were coming from him during their investigation and arrested the reckless neighbor on May 23.
Arrested While in Possession of Slingshot
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During his arrest, police found the slingshot and between 10 to 40 ball bearings in his possession, Cpl. Benjamin Cypher told the outlet. The slingshot vandal was released from custody following his hearing on Tuesday after his attorneys argued he suffered from a number of medical illnesses.
However, he was ordered not to stay in his Azusa home, which is about 25 miles outside downtown Los Angeles, though he was allowed to return to pick up medications.
King was also ordered to stay at least 200 yards away from the homes he allegedly targeted, not to have any contact with any of the victims, and was instructed not to possess any deadly weapons, including his signature slingshot.
“We’ve been here since 2018. (It’s been) ongoing all that time,” one of the King’s neighbors and alleged victims, James Mead, told LA Daily News following King’s arrest.
“To me, it seems to be a really good neighborhood, except for windows being broken,” Mead said.
He was scheduled to return to court on June 17 for his preliminary hearing.
