Twelve-year-old Jerel D. McGeachy Jr. has been the topic of headlines in recent years for his public recitations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speeches, gathering accolades as the “little boy with a big voice” for his dramatic delivery as well as his community service efforts, including participating in walks to raise money to battle breast cancer.
The Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina reported in November 2020 that the child, then 9, had drawn attention for his recitation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, and had been honored as “Knight of the Year” by local and regional chapters of the Knights of Pythagoras. In January this year, McGeachy Jr. again recited King’s mountaintop speech at an Alpha Phi Alpha event in Wichita, where he commanded the room, delivering a performance of King’s final speech from 1968 to a standing ovation.
Jerel McGeachy (38), Dominique McGeachy (38), and Jerel McGeachy Jr (12) were all found deceased in their Kansas City home in what police describe as a murder-suicide.
