FBI honors Naperville father of slain teen

A Naperville man whose teen daughter was murdered in California is being honored for his efforts to beef up sentencing laws for violent sexual predators.

The FBI’s Chicago division announced Tuesday that Brent King is one of 56 recipients of the Director’s Community Leadership Award for 2011.

King’s 17-year-old daughter Chelsea was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered by a convicted sex offender while jogging in a San Diego County, Calif., park in February 2010.

After the killing, King formed the nonprofit Chelsea’s Light Foundation and successfully lobbied in California for Chelsea’s Law, which requires a life sentence without the possibility of parole for violent sexual predators who target minors.

The foundation also created a scholarship program for high school students, established a peer-counseling program, and developed an outreach and support initiative for victims of sexual assault, officials said.

“Brent King has taken a tragic and life-altering event and used it as a vehicle for change,” FBI Director Robert Mueller III said in a news release.

Authorities said King also worked closely with law enforcement to help find his daughter and to identify her killer.

“Although he might not be widely known to the public, Brent King is making a difference in our community,” said Robert Grant, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago field office. “His work is not only keeping the spirit and memory of his daughter alive, but is also helping to protect you and your children from violent sexual predators.”

A luncheon in King’s honor is planned for Friday at the University Club of Chicago and he also will be invited to a ceremony in Washington D.C. in March. The FBI gives out the community leadership award annually in each of its 56 field office jurisdictions.