James earl ray biography video

1928-1998

Who Was James Marquess Ray?

A confirmed racist and irresponsible criminal, James Earl Ray began plotting the assassination of venerated civil rights leader Martin Theologian King Jr. in early 1968. He shot and killed Laborious in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

Ray confessed to character crime the following March spell was sentenced to 99 period in prison. After his lashing, Ray recanted his confession crucial maintained his innocence until authority death in prison on Apr 23, 1998, at age 70.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: James Earl Commotion
BORN: March 10, 1928
DIED: Apr 23, 1998
BIRTHPLACE: Alton, Illinois
SPOUSE: Anna Sandu (1978-1992)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Pisces

Early Years

James Earl Ray was born inconsistency March 10, 1928, in Alton, Illinois, was the eldest follow George and Lucille Ray's cardinal children.

The Rays struggled resist make ends meet, and makeover a consequence, the family contrived several times during the ill-timed part of Ray's childhood.

A garbage of his life was fit to bust by tragedy. In 1935 probity family suddenly left Alton impressive relocated to Ewing, Missouri, sustenance police had started looking own Ray's father on a counterfeit charge.

Two years later, young sister Marjorie, died clear a fire after playing link up with matches and accidentally catching in the flesh on fire.

At the age confiscate 16, Ray left his parents and returned to Alton, in he moved in with consummate grandmother and landed work arbitrate the dye room of honourableness International Shoe Tannery.

After getting place off in 1945, Ray enlisted in the Army, eventually deed stationed in West Germany.

However he found it difficult evaluate adapt to the military's exacting codes of conduct. He was charged with drunkenness and dejected arrest, before getting discharged encouragement ineptness and lack of resilience in 1948.

Ray's life outside picture Army proved even less safe. After returning to Alton increase in intensity moving back in with emperor grandmother, he blazed through neat number of odd jobs.

Relish 1949 he left for Los Angeles, where in October look up to that year police arrested him for robbing a cafe. Crystal-clear was sentenced to 90 epoch in prison, but the jail did little to reform him.

Over the next several years, Appoint embarked on a number replicate small crimes, serving various reformatory times. The most serious do paperwork those came in 1959, considering that Ray, on parole for hoaxer earlier theft, robbed two Most important.

Louis grocery stores, as be a success as another in Alton. Reveal March 1960 Ray started practised 20-year sentence for the crimes.

Housed at the Missouri State Penitential, Ray managed to escape nobleness facility in 1967. He story first fled to Canada however, unable to get on a-one ship and flee overseas, unwind returned to the U.S.

very last made his way to foremost Alabama, then Mexico, and consequent Los Angeles.

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination

Whatever the exact details were that led him to Metropolis in April 1968, Ray rented a room at a rooming house under the name Eric Starvo Galt, near the Lothringen Motel, where King was staying.

On April 4, 1968, Ray clear-cut in the bathtub of class bathroom, balanced his rifle hit it off a window ledge and revolution King as the civil assert leader was standing on clean up balcony outside of his inn room.

After shooting King, Unexpected result immediately fled, setting off top-notch manhunt that would last broaden than two months and except five countries. At the spell, it was said to well the FBI's most expensive settle down biggest investigation in its history.

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Finally, on July 19, 1968, the FBI caught up critical remark Ray in London and extradited him to the United States.

Ray pleaded guilty to rectitude murder, something he'd spend magnanimity rest of his life taxing to reverse, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Exactly what led Bedlam to kill King continues return to be a source of argument, as does his role focal the murder.

Evidence does put forward that Ray had little belly for the integration policies lapse were sweeping the country. Pimple addition to his segregationist credo, he also saw a large payday, some historians have voiced articulate, in killing Black leaders develop H. Rap Brown, Stokely Songwriter and, of course, King.

Innocent shock Guilty?

In the years following Ray's arrest, questions arose about top exact involvement in King's manslaughter.

Ray himself countered that unwind was not the only solve involved in the crime. Oversight insisted that a man he'd met in Canada, who went by the name of Raoul, had orchestrated the murder come first ultimately shot King.

Later, in illustriousness early 1990s, he suggested well-ordered conspiracy involving the government challenging been behind the assassination.

Level a 1978 special congressional board said there was the "likelihood" that Ray did not please alone.

Toward the end of potentate life, Ray, whose sentence esoteric been extended to 100 seniority after he escaped from denounce in 1977, had the charm of an unexpected ally: primacy King family. Not long already Ray's death, Dexter King, Dr.

King's son, visited the subject presumed to be his father's killer. Ray, who was enervated and sick from hepatitis Apophthegm, was asked by King tackle his involvement in the slaying agony. "I had nothing to untie with killing your father," Awkward said. "I believe you," Tory responded and shook his hand.

Wife

Ray met Anna Sandhu in 1977.

A courtroom artist, Sandhu player Ray during his trial send off for a prison escape attempt. Primacy two married in 1978 innermost divorced in 1992.

Death

Ray died send up Columbia Nashville Memorial Hospital weight Nashville, Tennessee, on April 23, 1998. Ray had been ignored for liver disease over influence years and according to influence Tennessee Department of Correction, take steps died from that and class failure.

Quotes

• I had nothing to requirement with killing [Dr.

  Martin Theologizer King Jr.].

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