Rodney King portrayed himself in court as a ruined man, haunted by his police beating, plagued by pain and consumed with fear that someone will try to kill him.
Testifying in his multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, a soft-spoken King said he has received skinhead threats of assassination and gets hate mail even now, three years after his videotaped beating."The blinds in my house are never open," he said Monday. "It's dangerous for my family. I don't take my family walking or to Disneyland. I stay away from a lot of family picnics in the park."
He said he has had bodyguards, has worn a bulletproof vest and has bought a guard dog. Every four months or so, he has moved.
King was to face cross-examination Tuesday.
The former construction worker is seeking at least $9.5 million.
On Monday, King got down on the floor to show the jury how he was beaten in 1991.
"I felt like I had been raped my decency and manhood," he said. "I heard them say, `nigger,' `nigger' and `killer."
He said, "I could hear my bones crunching every time the baton hit me."