Man Who Held Paula Deen at Gunpoint in 1987 Found Dead at His New York Apartment
Man Who Held Paula Deen at Gunpoint in 1987 Found Dead at His New York Apartment
Rachel McRadyMon, March 2, 2026 at 2:55 PM UTC
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Paula Deen on 'The Meredith Vieira Show'Credit: Paul Zimmerman/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty -
Eugene Thomas King Jr. was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment; the cause of death is unknown
King Jr. held Paula Deen at gunpoint during a 1987 bank robbery before her rise as a celebrity chef
Deen faced backlash in 2013 after referencing the robbery during a deposition about racial harassment allegations
The man best known for holding Paula Deen at gunpoint has been found dead in his Brooklyn, N.Y. apartment.
Eugene Thomas King Jr. was found dead by NYPD officers on Thursday, Feb. 27, after responding to a 911 call. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A cause of death has not been released.
King Jr. held Deen, 79, at gunpoint during a bank robbery in 1987 when she was working as a teller prior to her career as a celebrity chef and businesswoman. The experience was highlighted in 2013 when Deen was accused of sexual and racial harassment by a former employee, Lisa Jackson.
Paula Deen attends the 2025 Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025Credit: Celene Tang/Deadline via Getty
When asked under oath if she’d ever used the “N-word,” Deen replied, “Yes, of course.”
She said in court that she had used the racial slur when talking to her husband about “when a Black man burst into the bank that I was working at and put a gun to my head,” adding, “I didn’t feel real favorable towards him.”
Following the backlash from Deen’s confession, she appeared on the Today show, with co-anchor Matt Lauer asking her if she was a racist — a claim she denied.
Paula Deen at the Kentucky Derby in 2024.Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty
“The day I used that word, it was a world ago,” Deen said. “It was 30 years ago. I had had a gun put to my head, a shaking gun, because that man that had the gun to my head, unbeknowing to me, was my customer at the main office.”
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She added, “That man was so frightened the day he put the gun to my head because he was a customer at the main office, he was later caught, and I had gone out on a limb for him and gotten him a loan, and he was frightened that I was going to recognize him.”
Deen said she didn’t regret telling the truth during her deposition at the time, saying, “I is what I is and I’m not changing.”
Paula Deen shows off an old photo of herself on Instagram.Credit: Paula Deen/Instagram
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The Southern chef and cookbook author experienced major fallout from the court case, losing her partnerships and deals with the Food Network, QVC, Walmart, Target, Smithfield Foods and more.
Amidst the 2013 fallout, King Jr. spoke with Inside Edition, saying, "I really feel for her. She's being persecuted because of that one little mistake in her judgment. She was acting out of anger."
He added at the time, "I regret that I pointed a gun at her. I wish there was a way to take it back."
And in his 1987 statement to police, King Jr. said, “Please tell her I'm sorry, but I never intended to hurt anyone."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
