CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Veteran Kanawha County Circuit Judge Charles E. King, Jr. died Monday at the age of 73.
Kanawha County Commission President W. Kent Carper confirmed his passing to MetroNews flagship 580-WCHS Monday and said King will be missed.
“I had the privilege of knowing Judge King as a friend, as a judge, and frankly as a mentor. I cannot believe that we will have to continue on without him but that is exactly what he would want us to do,” Carper said.
King became a Kanawha County Prosecutor in 1973 and was elected as the Prosecuting Attorney in 1984. He was first elected as Circuit judge in 1988. He served as the Chief Judge on several occasions, including the majority of 2020.
Carper called King ‘irreplaceable’ as the pillar of the judiciary in Kanawha County. He also said King was a ‘judge’s judge.’
“The rulings were very clear and decisive. Frankly, he was the type of person that you’d always get a fair ruling from. A wonderful person and a great judge,” Carper said.
Carper and his wife Debbie expressed thoughts and prayers to King’s wife Phyllis and his daughters Amy and Stacy.
Commissioner Ben Salango said in a release, “Judge King epitomized what it meant to be a judge. He was respected and revered by every person that had the honor to appear in his courtroom. Today is a sad day for Kanawha County. My wife, Judge Tera Salango, and I send our sincere condolences to Judge King’s family.”
Commissioner Hoppy Shores stated, “Judge King was a wonderful person and a great friend; he will be missed. Bronson and I are keeping his family in our prayers.”
In the same news release, Commissioner-elect Lance Wheeler stated, “My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Judge Charles E. King, Jr. His long-standing dedicated service to the judicial system and citizens of Kanawha County is to be respected and recognized. My wife Jessica and I are keeping his family in our prayers during this difficult time.”
Kanawha County Government Issues Statement on the Passing of Kanawha County Circuit Judge Charles E. King, Jr. pic.twitter.com/4ZXJyKi6nR
— Kanawha County (@kanawhaus) December 28, 2020
Members of the state Supreme Court also extended their sympathies to King’s family on Monday.
“Judge King was a giant in the legal community and such a respected judge on the bench by those who appeared before him in court,” said Justice Evan Jenkins, who will be the court’s next chief justice. “We are so saddened by this news and want his family to know just how much he was respected for his years of public service.”