Correctional Officer Frieda Belle King

Frieda Belle King

Correctional Officer Frieda King was stabbed to death with a 12-inch long butcher knife by an inmate near the cold storage area of the kitchen at the Pontiac Correctional Center.

The inmate was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. On January 11, 2003, the outgoing governor granted clemency to all 167 Illinois death row inmates as one of his last acts in office. The inmate's sentence was commuted to life without parole.

Correctional Officer King had served with the Illinois Department of Corrections for over two years. She was survived by three daughters, four sons, seven sisters, four brothers and three grandchildren.

Correctional Officer King is the first known female law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in the state of Illinois.