Where Are They Now?

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear what could be the final legal chapter in the Rodney G. King beating case, the five men at the center of saga are struggling to reclaim their lives.

Rodney G. King: On parole the night of March 3, 1991, when he tried to flee Los Angeles police officers and was beaten with batons and kicked until he submitted to arrest. King now is battling with his former lawyer over fees and has been repeatedly arrested on various charges. He was awarded $3.8 million by a federal jury in his lawsuit against the police.

Stacey C. Koon: A veteran LAPD sergeant on the night of the incident, he took charge of the officers at the scene. Koon was acquitted in state court but convicted on federal charges of violating King’s civil rights. He served his 30-month sentence and was released last month, but could be returned to prison if the Supreme Court rules that the trial judge was too lenient. His appeal of an appellate court ruling that overturned his sentence has become a cause celebre; his legal defense fund has grossed more than $4 million. On Thanksgiving weekend, a gunman went looking for Koon at a halfway house, but Koon was not there at the time.

Laurence M. Powell: Delivered the majority of the blows to King. He was the lead defendant in the state trial and was found not guilty of all charges but one, in which the jury could not reach a verdict. He was convicted in the federal case; he was released last month after serving his 30-month sentence. He has fallen into debt appealing the appellate reversal of the sentence.

Timothy E. Wind: An LAPD rookie at the time of the beating, Wind was training under Powell that night. He struck King with his baton and kicked him, but was twice acquitted of any criminal wrongdoing. The LAPD fired him, and he now works part time for the Culver City Police Department. He neither carries a gun nor patrols the streets.

Theodore J. Briseno: During the beating, Briseno blocked Powell at one point but later stomped hard on King’s upper body, a move Briseno said was meant to keep King down and protect him from harm. Prosecutors did not believe him. Briseno testified against his fellow officers in state court and prosecutors played an edited version of that testimony during the federal trial. Briseno was acquitted both times. He now works as a security guard.