Was James Earl Ray Martin Luther King's Killer? Doubts Remain

The BBC reports:

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, 40 years ago on 4 April 1968.

A year later, James Earl Ray admitted to being the assassin. Because of that guilty plea there was no full trial. But Ray changed his story almost at once and until his death in 1998 insisted he did not murder Dr King. So was he the killer? And if so, did he work alone?

Who was James Earl Ray? When he died in 1998, CNN posted a series of biographical information and interviews with Ray's attorney William Pepper.

He died of liver failure at 10:36 a.m. CDT (11:36 a.m. EDT) at Columbia Nashville Memorial Hospital, a statement from the Tennessee Department of Correction said.

Ray, who fought without success to have his name cleared, spent his last days in a coma at a Nashville hospital. He had been in and out of intensive care for more than a year with cirrhosis, a chronic liver disease.

Martin Luther King's family believed Ray was not the killer. In 1997 Ray met with King's son, Dexter to talk about the murder:

Ray came as close as he ever would to being absolved in King's assassination in a March 1997 meeting with one of the civil rights leader's sons, Dexter King.

"I had nothing to do with shooting your father," Ray told King.

Later, King asked Ray directly, "I want to ask for the record: did you kill my father?"

"No, I didn't, no, no," Ray said.

"I believe you, and my family believes you, and we will do everything in our power to see you prevail," King replied.

Many believe King's assassination was a government conspiracy. Crime Library collects the theories.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson says it's a plot: "I have always believed that the government was part of a conspiracy, either directly or indirectly, to assassinate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," he wrote in the forward to James Earl Ray's autobiography Who Killed Martin Luther King Jr.? Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young believes the government was responsible for King's death, as well. "I've always thought the FBI might be involved in some way," he said. "You have to remember this was a time when the politics of assassination was acceptable in this country. It was during the period just before Allende's murder. I think it's naïve to assume these institutions were not capable of doing the same thing at home or to say each of these deaths (King and the two Kennedys) was an isolated incident by 'a single assassin.' It was government policy."

Comments

[calirighty]

02:53 AM on 04/05/2008

Let's see. JFK assassinated. He was the President of a country controlled by DEMOCRATS. RFK assassinated during LBJ's presidency. MLK assassinated during LBJ's presidency. Malcolm X assassinated during, guess who?, LBJ's presidency. Now since Bush is responsible for every part of the government that goes wrong while he's president, does that mean that you conspiracy theorists are willing to admit that DEMOCRATS were in charge and responsible for these assassinations. Go ahead. Try and spin it.

[qdog112]

08:33 AM on 04/05/2008

No spin needed, just a perspective of the times. First admit that the eras are different. You might have to admit that governmental controls over various agencies have changed. Case in point. J.Edgar Hoover was known to be the FBI director who enjoyed supreme status. Ever heard of counterintelpro? Well Google it. Quick, who is the FBI director today? If you don't know - that means something. In 1968 many of agencies actually had autonomy, particularly if run by career professionals. I think Hoover would qualify.

Today, King George has centralized every agency firing every independent thinker not connected to his party. I give you the DOJ scandal and FEMA for examples.

The government knew EVERY move MLK made. He had 24/7 surveillance. Knowing how "dangerous" King was perceived to be, as found in FBI records, that would surely give the motive. After all, the FBI did deliver the famous "you know what to do" package. Are you with me? If the motive is not developed well enough, do some research. If opportunity is not established, well ....

So it boils down to the lay of the land in 1968 vs. today. I say it's very possible that there was governmental involvement that may not have gone to the top, based on the autonomous nature of the agencies of that time. There is no significance on the party in the white house. Today George has his political fingerprints on everything, QUESTIONS? No spin needed, just a history lesson.

[rektruax]

10:02 AM on 04/05/2008

Actually it's all the work of aliens from another world...

[jinjinpinti]

01:30 AM on 04/05/2008

There's a deep pervading ROT in the government of this country. A vile, secret core of evil. How do we get up and go about our lives knowing it is all a stinking, fetid lie? Lies upon lies, upon lies and nothing, no thing is as it seems. I will die never having lived in truth, never sure who, what to believe. My heart aches for my grandchildren.

[pithymaxim]

11:02 AM on 04/05/2008

America is not an evil country. I think your dystopic world view has colored every aspect of your life. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It's the case for every country and every empire throughout all recorded history. It's sinusoidal in nature. This is the human condition ie social Darwinism.

[Mariposa4Life]

01:16 AM on 04/05/2008

MLK's murder happened long before I was born, but I have never believed that some country bumpkin redneck, who spent his live hunting raccoons and squirrels, was the person who was able to get off a kill shot from that distance. He never had any military training and he was able to hit MLK on his first shot plus get all the documents and money to end up in some luxury hotel in London. Get real! Someone needs to reopen this! NOW!!!

[mlaiuppa]

12:14 AM on 04/05/2008

What I find most interesting is....what was different when "assasination fever" stopped.

Exactly what happened? Why did the assasinations stop? Did we finally run out of targets? Or was it something else. Answer that question and maybe you have an answer to if James Earl Ray did it or whether it was part of a larger conspiracy.

Instead of taking all of these assasinations piecemeal, perhaps the answer is to look at the larger picture.

[pithymaxim]

10:48 AM on 04/05/2008

Perhaps as technology advanced, more subversive methods of control were employed rather than a physical kill.

[Rule Of Law]

11:31 PM on 04/04/2008

Next you'll be telling us that Bill Maher is wrong and that the twin towers weren't taken down by Al Qaeda.

Naw, Bill's word is good enough for me!

[Suprshrink]

10:14 PM on 04/04/2008

When I look at the 60's, I see only one plausible explanation of all of the assassinations of our brightest and most capable leaders. It seems to me that it took only about 5 years to rid our country of its bright future. JFK, RFK, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King were assassinated serially and for the purpose of stopping the movements they began. Oh, how I wish I could see how our country would have progressed if they were still here.

[lobo1939]

10:30 PM on 04/04/2008

Yes and add to that list a couple of other trouble makers. One with a large following who was threatening the Republican's southern strategy and the other who was sticking it in the eye of convention: George Wallace and Larry Flint.

[TotobiAyokoh23]

09:00 PM on 04/04/2008

Ray exhibits all the characteristics of a severe multiple personality that is compartmentalized to the extent that the behavioral dynamics of each personality is mutually exclusive from each other. It is within the context of such multiplicity that the assassination of Dr. King finds meaning.

[pithymaxim]

10:50 AM on 04/05/2008

Suppose this is true. Then how was he able to intergrate his parts in prison and remain in one dominant alter for decades?

[easyrider1969]

07:26 PM on 04/04/2008

ML King couldn't go to the bathroom w/o the FBI watching him, except for the day he was murdered. Like Oswald and later Sirhan, it's conveinent to blame it on the lone loser w/ few connections. The fascist power elite were up to their eyeballs in this one with J.E. Hoover beside himself w/ glee over this "execution"...and the press goes along...for 40 yrs.
er

[Shanti]

12:25 AM on 04/05/2008

For anyone that cares to do he research, you will find that Hoover had MLK labeled as subversive, communist in the early 1960's. MLK would be labeled a terrorist by todays standards as communism doesn't work for the bad guys anymore. That Hoover was never incarcerated for this canard and most egregious lie,while MLK was asassinated tells you a lot about America.

[Zeebob]

06:07 PM on 04/04/2008

For those of you that want to learn more about the MLK assassination there is an excellent torrent over at mininova titled 'William Pepper - An Act Of State - The Execution of MLK', its a book review and well worth the watch.

[McJeff]

05:50 PM on 04/04/2008

Might as well toss John Lennon in there as well. He was a threat to the MIC. Chapman wandered and seemed to have funds with no income. Lennon talked too much, and was just re-emerging when he was hit. And it WAS a hit.

[kfdan]

05:49 PM on 04/04/2008

You can bet your last dollar ... don't spend it on gas ... that both Kennedy's, King, and 9/11 were government operations. It's the very same activity the government has been up to in other parts of the world for a very long time.

[Marlyn]

06:20 PM on 04/04/2008

and right now, if you look at Colombia!

[gregt499]

05:45 PM on 04/04/2008

why is it that when ever a movement is started that is anti-gov't policy (status qua) and generates a large following that leader of the movement winds up assassinated by some unstable individual. --------as long as we follow the rules and keep our mouths shut and do not question our gov't about it's policies whether good or bad whether foreign or domestic we become puppets. --------------- if we pay more attention to our gov't which the gov't knows we don't have time to do we might see that we are more a quasi-democracy leaning more towards dictatorship. ---------------our gov't talks about wanting to have an educated society but that's all it is "talk" ------------ an educated society would expose what's really going on in washinton --------------- it's cheaper to keep us dumb and just getting by -------- building more prisons than building schools with qualified teachers stressing the studies of civics and political science interacting with other social sciences. ----------- just a thought --------- i could be wrong "maybe".

[DaRight]

08:54 AM on 04/05/2008

.....

You are on to us....

How did you figure this out?....

We need to contact you RIGHT AWAY!

Follow these simple instructions tonight at 0300 hours:

1. Fashion a crude hat from TINFOIL place it on your head.

2. Sit in your house facing in the direction of the Pentagon (ignore the BLACK HELICOPTER over your house)

3. Focus on your mistrust of all things Government. Messages will be sent to your brain.

5. Spread the word! Tell everyone you know about everything. The TIN FOIL HAT..the helicopter...the messages sent to your HEAD....Don't hold back....

Good luck.


.

[pithymaxim]

10:56 AM on 04/05/2008

funny

[GoodbyeKitty]

02:18 PM on 04/05/2008

You just validated gregt499's point

[chocco]

05:24 PM on 04/04/2008

I will never believe Ray killed MLK without help. There is no doubt the U.S. gov't. had something to do with it. Everyone in Memphis knew there was police involvement, mayoral involvement. Most likely, the gov't was in bed with the mob, just like when JFK and RFK were gunned down. The evidence was buried, witnesses are dead----we will never know what really happened. I love my country, but I do not alway trust my government. Look what Bush and Cheney have done. Do you trust they have told the truth?

[MWChris]

02:36 AM on 04/05/2008

I do not believe the government (federal, that is) had a hand in the assassination of MLK. Logically, if the government was going to kill him, it would have done so long before 1968. By that time, he was being challenged by other, younger leaders such as Stokley Charmichael, H. Rap Brown and others. Why wait until MLK was past his prime to assassinate him? It simply doesn't make sense.

Ray pled guilty to an infamous murder. If he didn't do it, why did he plead? Ray may have had help, but we will never know who helped him.

[MaryRybar]

05:18 PM on 04/04/2008

James Earl Ray was exonerated for killing MLK.
James Earl Ray was effectively exonerated of the assassination of MLK, Jr. by Dr. William F. Pepper in a trial at The Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tennessee, 30th Judicial District at Memphis, in 1999. The trial, "Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King III, Bernice King, Dexter Scott King and Yolanda King Vs. Loyd Jowers and Other Unknown Co-Conspirators", is commonly called "the Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassination Conspiracy Trial" and is referred to as such at The King Center website, where the transcript of the trial is posted.

If a U.S. court exonerated him, they must have believed him to be innocent. - just as King's wife and family did

[Neaguy]

12:03 AM on 04/05/2008

Excellent post. You have focused on the key facts regarding the legal issues.

James Earl Ray never fired any rifle on April 4, 1968. The evidence is ovewhelming and always has been.

[mediamarv]

04:28 PM on 04/04/2008

No doubts remain among sane people. That leaves only HuffPo headline writers, desperate for a "hook."
Sloppy non-journalism if you ask me (and most people don't).

[09]

05:39 PM on 04/04/2008

How does one explain that when Ray was found in an upscale four star hotel in London--- who had provided him a very very good passport with a new name/flight ticket and how does one explain the 50,000 USD found on him in London. How does a good ole southern boy get his hands on a excellent forged US passport/50K/flight ticket?

Who did he play rabbit for and for what reasons---if he did not pull the trigger he definitely was used as a rabbit to distract from others.

Why is it that at no time was the 50K and passport ever discussed---his guilty plea sidelined the courtcase thus no trial thus no discussion and you believe that there is nothing.

Let's take it a step further---why was there no real deep discusssions and investigation of the killing of Bobby Kennedy?

And after WMD you really trust your government?

[Neaguy]

12:05 AM on 04/05/2008

Don't forget Ray had four fake aliases/IDs of men who lived in 'Canada all near one another and all simliar in appearance to Ray. How would Ray, a man of limited means and no resources be able to pull this off?