Chelsea King: Murdered Teen's Brother Making Documentary to Help Change U.S. Laws
At first, Brent King worried his 16-year-old son's idea could open new wounds.
Feb. 16, 2013— -- The teenage brother of Chelsea King is making a documentary to honor his sister and inspire civic action, three years after she was raped and murdered while running in a California park.
When Tyler King, now 16, came to his parents with the idea of making a documentary, they were initially reluctant, his father Brent King told ABCNews.com.
"We're always worried about opening new wounds for him. He's 16," Brent King said.
Chelsea was raped and murdered on Feb. 25, 2010, by a man who had previously been convicted of sexually abusing a 13-year-old neighbor and, in retrospect, was found to have repeatedly violated his parole.
To try to prevent anything similar from happening again, the California legislature passed Chelsea's Law in September 2010, seven months after the girl's murder.
Tyler envisioned telling Chelsea's story from his own point of view, while also giving children the information and tools they need to lobby for a law as strong as Chelsea's Law in their states.
PHOTOS: Remembering Chelsea King
Chelsea's Law has a "one strike" provision that means offenders convicted of forcible sex crimes against minors that include aggravating factors, such as age, are sentenced to life in prison without parole.
After discussing the idea as a family and consulting with a trauma expert, Brent King gave his son his approval and set out to help connect him to the resources he needed.
It turns out the Kings didn't have to look far. Their San Diego network of supporters included Bruce Caulk, a director of documentaries and films who commutes between his home in La Jolla and his office on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles.
Caulk had coached a baseball team that had participated in a tournament to benefit the Chelsea's Light foundation, and got to know the Kings.
"I saw an opportunity to use my skills and get the word out and help them," he told ABCNews.com. "She [Chelsea] kind of put the hook in me."
Caulk and Tyler King are shooting the documentary piece by piece, as they raise the estimated $400,000 they will need through donations on the Chelsea's Light website.
Scot Wolfe, a co-producer of the viral internet video "KONY 2012" is also lending his expertise to the making of the documentary.
Tyler recently sat down in front of the camera and told his story.
"You get really lonely at home because you're used to having this constant in your life," he said in a clip of the film posted on the website of ABC News' San Diego affiliate KGTV.
While Tyler will be behind the camera for most of the documentary, talking to children about grief and tragedy, his moment on screen was cathartic for him, Caulk said.
"Some of the most powerful moments are when he's working through his thoughts and emotions on camera," Caulk said.
For Brent King, working on the foundation he started for Chelsea, along with his wife, Kelly, has allowed him to "stay connected to [his] daughter".
He sees Tyler experiencing the same feeling as he throws his passion into the documentary.
"We support it 100 percent by watching what it does for him," King said. "Chelsea is working side by side with him."
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