Biography
The first defendant in the sweeping Georgia RICO indictment against Stop Cop City forest defenders to go to trial. King was indicted in August 2023 along with 60+ co-defendants on RICO charges for opposition to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center ("Cop City"). The trial ended in a mistrial in July 2025. On December 30, 2025 the RICO charge against King was dismissed along with the charges against the other 60 defendants, after a judge found the Georgia attorney general lacked the required authorization to bring the case; the state appealed the dismissal in early 2026.
A defense motion submitted January 1, 2024 uses the full name Ayla Elegia King, recounts the March 5, 2023 arrest and August 29 RICO indictment, and refers to a November 7 consent bond order with a restriction on contact with co-defendants. It describes a speedy-trial demand filed October 30, jury selection December 11–12, and a contested postponement to January 10. Counsel argued that jury selection alone and alleged exclusion of public observers failed to satisfy speedy and public trial rights, and requested dismissal. These were defense arguments and a request, not an acquittal or dismissal order. The later bond-order reference does not establish a new prison admission or uninterrupted detention after the separately documented March 23 physical release. Subsequent known outcomes remain preserved. Source: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/554655dee4b0528c14b7e057/t/659b2a0cad50ba2d8b10a6db/1704667660752/01-01-2024-King-Motion-to-Dismiss.pdf#page=2
