James Earl Ray

James Earl Ray (March 10, 1928 – April 23, 1998) was an American fugitive who was convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. After the assassination, Ray fled to London and was later captured there. He entered a guilty plea in 1969, avoiding a jury trial and the possibility of a death sentence, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Ray held strong segregationist views and supported the political campaign of Alabama governor George Wallace with the American Independent Party. He died in 1998 at the age of 70 from health problems related to kidney disease, liver failure, and hepatitis C, after spending nearly thirty years in prison.

Some people, including the King family, believed Ray might not have acted alone. In 1999, a Memphis civil trial suggested there may have been a conspiracy to assassinate King involving government agencies. However, official investigations, such as those by the U.S. Department of Justice, have disputed these claims.

Early life

James Earl Ray was born on March 10, 1928, in Alton, Illinois, to George Ellis Ray and Lucille Ray (née Maher). He had Irish, Scottish and Welsh ancestry. Ray was the oldest of nine children and left school when he was 12 years old.

Later, he joined the U.S. Army near the end of World War II and served in Germany, but he was discharged in 1948 because he struggled to adjust to military life.

Initial convictions and first escape from prison

Before being linked to any major crime, James Earl Ray had been involved in various illegal activities. His first conviction was for burglary in California in 1949. Later, in 1952, he served time for robbing a taxi driver in Illinois. He also faced charges for mail fraud in Hannibal, Missouri and was imprisoned for four years.

In 1959, Ray was caught robbing a Kroger store in St. Louis and received a twenty-year prison sentence for repeated offenses. However, he managed to escape from the Missouri State Penitentiary on April 23, 1967 by hiding in a truck that was leaving the prison bakery.

After his first escape

James Earl Ray moved quickly after his escape, traveling through many places including St. Louis, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, and Birmingham, Alabama. In Birmingham, he bought a car and got a new driver’s license under a different name.

Later, Ray went to Mexico, where he tried to work in film but wasn’t satisfied. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he learned bartending and danced. He also spent time helping with a political campaign there. Ray planned to move to Rhodesia, which is now Zimbabwe, but those plans changed after some important events.

Activity in early 1968

In early 1968, James Earl Ray underwent a nose operation on March 5. He then left Los Angeles and drove across the country to Atlanta, Georgia, where he checked into a rooming house and marked important locations related to Martin Luther King Jr. on a city map.

Ray later traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, where he bought a Remington Model 760 Gamemaster .30-06-caliber rifle and a scope. He returned to Atlanta and followed news reports about King’s upcoming trip to Memphis, Tennessee. On April 2, Ray drove to Memphis, preparing for what would happen next.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Main article: Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

James Earl Ray was a man who was convicted for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. On April 4, 1968, Ray was in Memphis, Tennessee, near the Lorraine Motel where King was staying. Ray fired a shot that killed King while he stood on the motel’s balcony.

After the shooting, Ray fled the scene and traveled to several cities, including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Toronto, and London. He was eventually arrested at London Heathrow Airport while trying to leave the UK using a false passport. Ray later confessed to the crime but later changed his mind, claiming others were involved. He spent many years in prison trying to change his plea.

Second escape from prison

On June 10, 1977, James Earl Ray and six other convicts escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tennessee. They were recaptured just three days later, on June 13. As a result, a year was added to Ray’s sentence, making it a total of 100 years. This escape later inspired the Barkley Ultra race, a 100-mile race around the same mountains that Ray had run through during his escape. The race is featured in a Netflix documentary made by its founder.

Conspiracy allegations

Main article: Martin Luther King Jr. assassination conspiracy theories

After being convicted of assassinating Martin Luther King Jr., James Earl Ray claimed he was not responsible and that the shooting was part of a larger conspiracy. He said a man named “Raoul” was involved, though Raoul was never identified. Ray’s attorney argued that Ray did not fire the fatal shot, but tests to prove this were inconclusive.

Later, a mock trial was held where Ray was acquitted. The King family supported Ray’s request for a new trial and believed he was not the shooter. A civil suit against a restaurant owner near the scene suggested a conspiracy involving others, but a later government report found no evidence of a conspiracy behind the assassination.

Death

James Earl Ray spent his last years in a maximum-security prison with hospital facilities. He passed away on April 23, 1998, at the age of 70, due to health problems related to kidney disease and liver failure.

After his death, Ray’s body was cremated, and his ashes were sent to Ireland, the homeland of his maternal family’s ancestors. A funeral service was held in Nashville.