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Alberta King: A Tragedy in the Shadow of Her Son's Legacy

JB Quinnon
1 day ago
2 min read

The Assassination of Alberta King

On June 30, 1974, Alberta Williams King — the mother of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — was shot and killed while playing the organ at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. She was murdered just six years after the assassination of her son, in a tragedy that shook the civil rights community to its core.

The shooter, Marcus Wayne Chenault, was a 23-year-old from Ohio who claimed divine instruction to kill Christian leaders. He initially intended to kill Martin Luther King Sr. but instead targeted Alberta when he couldn’t reach him. He also fatally shot church deacon Edward Boykin and injured another woman. Chenault was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life in prison. He died in 1995.

Alberta King’s murder marked the third devastating loss in the King family in less than a decade. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. A year later, his brother A.D. King died under suspicious circumstances. And in 1974, the family lost Alberta in what many consider a continuation of targeted violence against a family that symbolized resistance and hope for millions.

While the official motive was rooted in religious extremism, the pattern of tragedy that followed the King family has led to speculation about whether larger forces were at play — especially given the government surveillance of Dr. King under programs like COINTELPRO. Though no direct evidence links Chenault to a broader conspiracy, the repeated targeting of the King family cannot be ignored.

This image and post are a tribute to Alberta King — a mother, musician, educator, and cornerstone of the civil rights movement. Her legacy, like her son’s, should never be forgotten.