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James Earl Ray | |
|---|---|
 Ray testifying before the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1979 | |
| Born | March 10, 1928 Alton, Illinois, United States |
| Died | April 23, 1998 Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Nationality | Statesian |
James Earl Ray (March 10, 1928 – April 23, 1998) was a Statesian criminal who was accused of assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. The House Select Committee on Assassinations claimed that he shot King in order to get a bounty from two St. Louis racists even though they were both dead.[1]
Early life
Ray escaped from a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri, in April 1967.[1]
MLK assassination
On April 3, 1968, Ray booked into a rooming house owned by Bessie Brewer in Memphis, Tennessee, across from the Lorraine Motel.[1]
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in the face on April 4 on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.[1]
After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Ray drove to Atlanta, Georgia in a white Mustang, where he abandoned his car. He then hid in Toronto, Canada, for a month before flying to Portugal and then England.[1]
Imprisonment
Ray was captured in June 1968 while trying to board a flight in Brussels, Belgium. At his trial, he plead guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Three days later, he fired his lawyer, Percy Foreman, saying that he pressured him into pleading guilty.[1]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Jeremy Kuzmarov (2022-04-04). "Did J. Edgar Hoover Order the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr?" CovertAction Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-02-29.