However, Jowers had long asserted he had no involvement in the event before suddenly and bizarrely claiming, twenty-five years after the fact, he had been paid to hire a hit man to kill Martin Luther King. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Digital Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Washington, D.C. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, San Jose, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Earl_Ray&oldid=1142126272, American people who died in prison custody, People extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States, Prisoners who died in Tennessee detention, United States Army personnel of World War II, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 99 years in prison (1 year was added after his re-capture for a total of 100 years), This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 17:21. For the King family and others in the civil rights movement, the FBIs obsession with King in the years leading up to his slaying in Memphis on April 4, 1968 pervasive surveillance, a malicious disinformation campaign and open denunciations by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover laid the groundwork for their belief that he was the target of a plot. Ray pleaded guilty to the murder of King on March 10, 1969. Ray then fired Kershaw after discovering the attorney had been paid $11,000 by the magazine in exchange for the interview and instead hired attorney Mark Lane to provide him with legal representation. But five years later, Randall defended a man who, authorities What Political Party was James Earl Ray part of? His son RFK Jr. doesnt believe it was Sirhan Sir How the assassinations of 1968 led the NRA to become the lobbying force it Two sprinters gave the black-power salute at the Olympics. According to Jowers, a Memphis produce dealer, who was involved with the Mafia, gave him $100,000 to hire an assassin and assured him that the police would not be at the scene of the shooting. Who killed Bobby Kennedy? A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? The Democrats were furious at Lincoln and resisted Black America gaining political power. Im in the car business. Biden sought support from follow segregationists in the fight against desegregated busing. Toward the end of his life, Ray, whose sentence had been extended to 100 years after he escaped from prison in 1977, had the support of an unexpected ally: the King family. Blakey said recently he had tried to prove a conspiracy but could not. Instead, our sole concern has been that the full truth of the assassination has been revealed and adjudicated in a court of law. The U.S. Department of Justice found Jowers' claims were without merit and explained that he'd never been able to provide any support for later assertions about his involvement in King's death: When Jowers has confessed, he has contradicted himself on virtually every key point about the alleged conspiracy. August 29, 1968 #286 One week on the list Born on March 10, 1928, in Alton, Illinois, was the eldest of George and Lucille Ray's nine children. With rates currently down to half that in 2018 (18%), these theories seem unlikely to go away any time soon. Check here if you would like to receive subscription offers and other promotions via email from TIME group companies. Biden authored a crime bill that forced more black males into prison. Ray pleaded guilty to the murder, something he'd spend the rest of his life trying to reverse, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Magazines, Digital [36] However, Ray spent the remainder of his life unsuccessfully attempting to withdraw his guilty plea and secure a jury trial. Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: James Earl, Birth Year: 1928, Birth date: March 10, 1928, Birth State: Illinois, Birth City: Alton, Birth Country: United States. Ray had continued using the Galt alias after his stint in Mexico, but when he made this purchase, he gave his name as Harvey Lowmeyer. Dexter King called his family together, his brother Martin said in an interview, and urged them to file a civil suit against Jowers as a means of seeking the truth. In court, Ray answered the standard series of questions about whether he was knowingly and voluntarily admitting he committed murder. Pepper wrote three books outlining the conspiracy, most recently The Plot to Kill King in 2016, which were largely ignored by the media. Today, Planned Parenthood is predominately in the black community with half of all black pregnancies ending in an abortion. [38] The tests ultimately proved inconclusive. In 1977, James Earl Ray, who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr., escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in the town of Petros in Morgan County, Tennessee. Best Known For: James Earl Ray is infamous for assassinating civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. The rear of the boardinghouse faced the Lorraine Motel across Mulberry Street. Three days after pleading guilty he recanted his confession, and for the next 28 years maintained his innocence, but by then it was too late. James Earl Ray (March 10, 1928 April 23, 1998) was an American fugitive convicted for assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April4, 1968. Unfortunately, the jury who heard the case of King vs. Jowers (in which the King family was represented by James Earl Ray's former lawyer, William Pepper) returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, holding that Loyd Jowers had participated in a conspiracy to kill King, and that "governmental agencies" were party to the conspiracy: THE COURT: In answer to the question did Loyd Jowers participate in a conspiracy to do harm to Dr. Martin Luther King, your answer is yes. He paid $8.50 for a weeks stay. (In the event, the verdict referred only to "governmental agencies" rather than the U.S. government specifically, a term that could include anything from local police to the CIA.) [16] On March 18, 1968, Ray left Los Angeles and began a cross-country drive to Atlanta, Georgia. Evidence does suggest that Ray had little stomach for the integration policies that were sweeping the country. [43] [44], Coretta Scott King said, "The jury was clearly convinced by the extensive evidence that was presented during the trial that, in addition to Mr. Jowers, the conspiracy of the Mafia, local, state and federal government agencies, were deeply involved in the assassination of my husband. King was then assassinated by James Earl Ray, a Democrat. Claim: The U.S. government was sued and found culpable for the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr., but the news media refused to report it. Is that your verdict? Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Ray was arrested at Londons Heathrow Airport on June 8, 1968, a few weeks after the crime. Who killed Martin Luther King Jr.? Im certainly clear that there has been a conspiracy, from the government down to the mafia there had to be more than one person involved in all of this. Ray was spotted at the scene and, almost immediately after the killing, his fingerprints were found on the gun. Ray hired Jack Kershaw as his new attorney, and Kershaw publicly argued and promoted Ray's claim that he was not responsible for the assassination of King. Im just going to try to sell it and make a buck, Red Strickland, an independent automobile dealer from Memphis, said at an auction Thursday after buying the Mustang once driven by James Earl Ray. Recy Taylors gang rape was horrific. At that point, Hardin [13], He considered emigrating to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where a predominantly white minority regime had unilaterally assumed independence from the United Kingdom in 1965. She was also a guest speaker for the womens branch of the KKK. In fact, he did not testify in King v. Jowers, despite the fact that he was the party being sued. Top of Page James Earl Ray died in 1998. [1], In February 1935, Ray's father, known by the nickname Speedy, passed a bad check in Alton, Illinois, and then moved to Ewing, Missouri, where the family changed their name to Raynes to avoid law enforcement. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. [14] The notion of living in Rhodesia continued to appeal to Ray for several years afterwards, and it was his intended destination after King's assassination. 17, 1968, FBI headquarters Murkin file 44-38861", "Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr", "Why assassin James Earl Ray returned to Toronto", "Ramon Sneyd denies that he killed Dr King", "Log Cabin Democrat: King assassin Ray dies after lifelong legal fight 4/24/98", "1969: Martin Luther King's killer gets life", "Federal Bureau of Investigation History of Knoxville Office", "Jack Kershaw Is Dead at 96; Challenged Conviction in King's Death", "Dr. King's Son Says Family Believes Ray Is Innocent", "Ray Acquitted In Mock Trial 25 Years After King Slaying", "Memphis Jury Sees Conspiracy in Martin Luther King's Killing", "Complete Transcript of the Martin Luther King, Jr. King was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine outside room 306 when a single rifle bullet was fired into his lower jaw at 6:01 p.m. The photo still haunts us with what was lost. [29] Ray was then arrested at London Heathrow Airport attempting to leave the United Kingdom for Brussels. Ray told Huie that he purposefully left the rifle with his fingerprints on it in plain sight at the crime scene because he wanted to become a famous criminal. According to the criminal justice system of the state of Tennessee, James Earl Ray fired the shot from the second-floor bathroom of the boardinghouse. Certainly he hated Dad. [52], Ten years later, Ray's other brother, John Larry Ray, co-authored a book with Lyndon Barsten titled Truth At Last: The Untold Story Behind James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[39]. The New York Times. The paper reported King's planned return trip to Memphis, Tennessee, which was scheduled for 1st April, 1968. Exactly what led Ray to kill King continues to be a source of debate, as does his role in the murder. Im satisfied beyond a shadow of a doubt, Lawson said, that James Earl Ray neither pulled the trigger nor plotted to kill Martin Luther King.. WebJames Earl Ray deceased in prison; was a U.S. prisoner, and a British prisoner, apprehended June 8, White was arrested after a citizen recognized him from an article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat newspaper. There were things in Memphis that were suspicious and raised questions in my mind, Lawson said. Findings by federal authorities and the House Select Committee on Assassinations are confident about some things. [9], Following his escape, Ray stayed on the move throughout the United States and Canada, going first to St. Louis and then onward to Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, and Birmingham, Alabama, where he stayed long enough to buy a 1966 Ford Mustang and get an Alabama drivers license. The jury was clearly convinced by the extensive evidence that was presented during the trial that, in addition to Mr. Jowers, the conspiracy of the Mafia, local, state and federal government agencies, were deeply involved in the assassination of my husband. I have no stake in our outcome, Blakey said. Whitsett responded, Im not going to be silenced and has since sued the Michigan Democrat Party. The screen from the bathroom window was found on the ground below. Two years later, his young sister Marjorie, died in a fire after playing with matches and accidentally catching herself on fire. An FBI He defended Ray in a mock trial on HBO in 1993 (Ray was found not guilty), and filed and tried the Memphis civil suit that found the government liable for Kings death. Martin Luther King, a Republican, fought against Democrats and racism with President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Democrats, wiretapping both King and his organizer, A. Phillip Randolph. And the total amount of damages you find for the plaintiffs entitled to is one hundred dollars. He had Irish, Scottish and Welsh ancestry and had a Catholic upbringing. Those facts leave no surprise as to why a man such as Ray would murder a man whose lifes work was focused on racial equality. Twenty years later, I remain absolutely convinced this well-supported finding is correct., The King family disagrees, with Martin King III adopting Peppers theory of Hoover directing the assassination. However, President Trump has pumped fear into the Democrats as his policies are benefiting Black America. He also initially sought compensation for his story, and his friends and relatives acknowledge that he hoped to make money from his account. Assassination Conspiracy Trial", "The Execution of Martin Luther King William Pepper (ONE of TWO)", "The Execution of Martin Luther King, William Pepper (TWO of TWO)", "Justice Dept. But they are unanimous on one key point: James Earl Ray did not kill Martin Luther King. However, dont expect the Democrats to give in without a fight. A bunch of self- centered people trashing Target stores? He was trying to depart the United Kingdom for Angola, Rhodesia, or apartheid South Africa[30] using the falsified Canadian passport. He can be emailed at mantecarepublicans@yahoo.com, Ceres a cleaner place now due to beefed up Code Enforcement staff, CUSD keeping watchful eye on declining student enrollment, City prepares for new digs for Public Works, Adamsville: Stanislaus County's short-lived & forgotten county seat, CUSD honors standout classified and confidential employees, Espinoza, Breshears represent Hawks at State, Tough draw for CHS girls in soccer playoffs, CV boys advance to Division-I semifinal round, CV grad Velasquez wraps up UC Davis soccer career, Theyre not getting away with it in Ceres. James Earl Ray is infamous for assassinating civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. Democrats fought a bloody civil war against Lincoln and the Republicans plan to free Black America. Over the next several years, Ray embarked on a number of small crimes, serving various jail times. [7], Ray committed a variety of crimes prior to the murder of King. I believe thats exactly what happened, said Martin King III. On April 4, Bernice King will lead commemorative events in Atlanta, including a wreath laying at her fathers grave, a ceremony awarding Martin Luther King Peace Prizes, a reception for children and a March for Humanity through the city. He has spoken around the world to anyone who will listen, including recently at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, where King was killed. James Lawson, a Memphis pastor and civil rights institution who helped mentor King, said he began visiting Ray in the Memphis jail in 1969 when Ray complained about being held in solitary confinement. In the mock trial, the prosecutor was Hickman Ewing. It didnt help that Rays story kept changing. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our. Even a 1978 special congressional committee said there was the "likelihood" that Ray did not act alone. By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! For example, in an impromptu, recorded conversation with a state investigator, Jowers characterized a central feature of his story that someone besides Ray shot Dr. King with a rifle other than the one recovered at the crime scene as "bullshit." Jones responded, Turn the lights off, I have left the plantation., According to Biden and those Democrats who cannot enslave Black Americans anymore, You aint black., Frank Aquila is president of the San Joaquin Stanislaus Conservative Patriots and author of the book, Sarah Palin Out of Nowhere. That doesnt mean there are no questions left. Im not saying he didnt have help, Campbell said. With Biden, Democrats had a friend whose policies oppressed Black America. That weapon was not the weapon, Martin Luther King III said. The source of his money is the single biggest question.. Important information from the historical record and our investigation contradicts and undermines it. It pains my heart, said Bernice King, 55, the youngest of Martin Luther Kings four children and the executive director of the King Center in Atlanta, that James Earl Ray had to spend his life in prison paying for things he didnt do.. The UK quickly extradited Ray to Tennessee, where he was charged with King's murder. Is this who we now are? By all accounts, the two main parties involved, the King family and Jowers, had disparate goals served by the civil suit's outcome; and no substantive evidence was presented to establish any of the claims made by Jowers had any merit. The Democrat Party and Biden are no longer slave owners to Black America as they have a right to make an independent and educated decision. Kings two other surviving children, Dexter, 57, and Martin III, 60, fully agree that Ray was innocent. Yes, the President is part of the political party. [22], According to the FBI, on 4th April, 1968 Ray killed civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. with a single shot fired from his Remington rifle, while King was standing on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Another is the shaky foundation on which the conspiracy theory rests is a matter of some nuance. The mock trial jury finally acquitted Ray. And so after 50 years, the King assassination seems destined to remain mired in controversy, the subject of infinite debate over whether Ray was a lone gunman inspired by racism, a hired assassin aided by secret government forces, or simply a patsy manipulated to kill a civil rights hero. "I believe you," Dexter responded and shook his hand. Within days, Ray filed a motion to withdraw his plea, claiming he had been coerced by his attorney and the FBI. All Rights Reserved. The 68 riots A Pearl Harbor in politics: LBJs stunning decision not to seek reelectio Who killed Martin Luther King Jr.? Jowers further maintained that Ray did not shoot Dr. King and that he did not believe Ray knowingly participated in the conspiracy. In fact, the idea that there had been a conspiracy to kill King that, even if Ray fired the gun, he did so at the behest of larger forces began to spread right away, and not without some reason. Republicans introduced the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to end slavery, give citizenship, and give Black America the right to vote. Then Loyd Jowers, the owner of Jims Grill, began claiming publicly that he was involved in a conspiracy to kill King. Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com. During a rainstorm on February 1, 1968, two black sanitation workers in Memphis lost their lives when the trucks compactor Whatever the exact details were that led him to Memphis in April 1968, Ray rented a room at a rooming house under the name Eric Starvo Galt, near the Lorraine Motel, where King was staying. Thats quiet an assumption. James Earl Ray was in and out of prison before he committed murder so he wasnt allowed to vote. He thought the democrat ", And Gerald Posner, whose recent book, "Killing the Dream" made the case that Mr. Ray was the killer, said, "It distresses me greatly that the legal system was used in such a callous and farcical manner in Memphis. This verdict is not only a great victory for my family, but also a great victory for America. Campbell said Jowers had been recorded saying that he would tailor his story for financial gain. On July 19, he returned to U.S. and the following March he pleaded guilty to murdering King. [39][40][41] William Pepper, a friend of King during the last year of his life, represented Ray in a mock trial televised by HBO in an attempt to grant him the trial he never received. He was constantly in and out of prison so he never voted. He was a segregationist but neither a Republican or a Democrat. And contrary to the rumor's assertion, the 1999 civil case involving Jowers was widely reported by major news outlets at the time (including, as referenced above, the New York Times). According to Wikipedia: James Earl Rays chief interest was the George Wallace [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wallace ] Democratic presiden This material may not be reproduced without permission. Ray replied, "No. The verdict presented by the parties and adopted by the jury is incompatible with the weight of all relevant information, much of which the jury never heard. After Byrd, the racist recruiter for the KKK died in 2010, Biden did his eulogy and praised the former Grand Kleagle as his mentor and dear friend.. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The verdict came as the Justice Department was reinvestigating the case because of Jowerss claims and those of a former FBI agent who said he had found evidence in Rays car in 1968 linking him to Raul but had withheld it until 1997. It is important to know that this was a SWIFT verdict, delivered after about an hour of jury deliberation. All of this is therefore a very slender thread on which to hang the claim that the "U.S. government was proved responsible for King's assassination." Pepper said Dexter King asked Ray, Did you kill my father? and that Ray answered, No, I didnt. He said Dexter King told Ray, We will do everything in our power to see that justice prevails.. They want to tease Black America just enough to have them turn out to vote and then see them again in four years. James Earl Ray confessed to shooting King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Cities were burning. In 1935 the family suddenly left Alton and relocated to Ewing, Missouri, after police had started looking for Ray's father on a forgery charge. Why did James Earl Ray have cancer? He also bought a Redfield 2x-7x scope, which he had mounted to the rifle. In segregated D.C., few officials feared rioting. A part of his life was shaped by tragedy. JFK conspiracy theories: The grassy knoll, Umbrella Man, LBJ and Ted Cruzs dad, Dave Garrow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of King, said that the King children are part of a larger population of American people who need to believe that the assassination of a King or a Kennedy must be the work of mightier forces rather than victims of small-fry, lifetime losers., People need to see something of a balance between effect and cause, Garrow said. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors did not seek the death penalty and Ray was sentenced to 99 years in prison. The U.S. Justice Department concluded in June 2000 the "allegations originating with Loyd Jowers are not credible": After reviewing all available materials from prior official investigations and other sources, including the evidence from King v. Jowers, and after conducting a year and a half of original investigation, we have concluded that the allegations originating with Loyd Jowers and Donald Wilson are not credible. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee. Indeed, compelling evidence including Rays fingerprints on the rifle that was later determined to be the murder weapon seemed to point to him. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? In the years following Ray's arrest, questions arose about his exact involvement in King's murder. Astrological Sign: Pisces, Death Year: 1998, Death date: April 23, 1998, Death State: Tennessee, Death City: Nashville, Death Country: United States, Article Title: James Earl Ray Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/crime/james-earl-ray, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: May 3, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. Further, he has also renounced his confessions in certain private conversations without his attorney. In 1949 he left for Los Angeles, where in October of that year police arrested him for robbing a cafe. Consequently, Jowers has only confessed in circumstances where candor has not been required by law or where he has not been required to reconcile his prior inconsistencies. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. So, despite 50 years of evidence fingering James Earl Ray and a consensus about his role among most scholars who study King, some people remain unconvinced. I wholeheartedly applaud the verdict of the jury and I feel that justice has been well served in their deliberations. He broke out of prisons so many times that he earned the nickname the Mole.. He got a 99-year prison sentence, which he served until he died of liver failure due to hepatitis C on Apr. That some Americans didnt trust and still dont trust the governments conclusion on Kings murder says a lot about what was going on in America in the 1960s and 70s, when the Vietnam War and Watergate torpedoed Americans trust in government. Using mail-ordered equipment, he filmed and photographed local prostitutes. The magazine reported that the test results showed "Ray did, in fact, kill Martin Luther King Jr. and that he did so alone." He continued to visit Ray until his death and presided over his funeral. An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. The original mug shot of James Earl Ray included with the memo from the FBI to the Belleville News-Democrat. He confessed to the crime on March 10, 1969, his 41st birthday,[34] and after pleading guilty he was sentenced to 99 years in prison.[35]. [21], After purchasing the rifle and accessories, Ray drove back to Atlanta. What We Know About Why James Earl Ray Killed Martin Luther King Jr. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. In a criminal trial the guilt of the defendant must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, but in a civil suit the plaintiff need only support his claim with a preponderance of evidence to prevail. WebJames Earl Ray Escapes. [19], Ray was soon on the road again and drove his Mustang to Birmingham, Alabama. President Lyndon B. Johnson sold them into the Democrat plantation stating, These Negroes, theyre getting pretty uppity these days and thats a problem for us since theyve got something now they never had before, the political pull to back up their uppitiness. They were recaptured on June 13. However, the verdict was of no real significance given that virtually nothing was at stake (this was not a criminal trial, and the defendant was only being sued for a mere $100 and thus had little motivation for vigorously defending himself), allowing the King family to present a mostly unopposed version of events and guide the jury to return the verdict they desired. They sued Jowers for participation in a conspiracy to murder King. John Campbell, who investigated the case for years in the Shelby County, Tenn., district attorneys office, said that Rays version of events kept changing. His office issued a report in 1998 saying Ray was responsible. He spent much of his time in Los Angeles volunteering at the Wallace campaign headquarters in North Hollywood. Kershaw convinced Ray to submit to a polygraph test as part of an interview with Playboy. 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