James Earl Ray

Who Was James Earl Ray?

James Earl Ray was a confirmed racist and a small-time criminal who became infamous for assassinating the prominent civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. On April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, Ray fatally shot King, an act that shocked the nation and the world. Ray confessed to the crime in March 1969 and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. However, shortly after his sentencing, Ray recanted his confession, claiming his innocence, and maintained this position until his death in prison on April 23, 1998, at the age of 70.

Early Life

James Earl Ray was born on March 10, 1928, in Alton, Illinois, the eldest of George and Lucille Ray’s nine children. His early life was marked by hardship, as the family struggled financially, moving frequently during Ray’s childhood. His life took a tragic turn in 1935 when his family abruptly fled Alton and relocated to Ewing, Missouri, after his father became a fugitive for forgery. In 1937, Ray’s young sister, Marjorie, died in a fire after accidentally setting herself aflame while playing with matches.

At the age of 16, Ray left his parents and returned to Alton, where he moved in with his grandmother and secured a job in the dye room of the International Shoe Tannery. However, his employment was short-lived, and after being laid off in 1945, Ray enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he was stationed in West Germany. His military career was troubled, and he faced charges of drunkenness and breaking arrest. In 1948, Ray was discharged for ineptness and a lack of adaptability.

A Life of Crime

After his discharge, Ray’s life became increasingly unstable. Upon returning to Alton, he moved back in with his grandmother and drifted through a series of odd jobs. In 1949, he relocated to Los Angeles, where his criminal activities began to escalate. That year, he was arrested for robbing a café and sentenced to 90 days in prison, though this did little to deter him from further criminal activity.

Throughout the following years, Ray committed a series of petty crimes, often landing him behind bars. His most serious offenses occurred in 1959 when, while on parole for an earlier theft, Ray robbed three grocery stores in St. Louis and Alton. This resulted in a 20-year prison sentence in 1960, which he began serving at the Missouri State Penitentiary.

Escape and the Road to Assassination

In 1967, Ray managed to escape from the Missouri State Penitentiary. After fleeing to Canada and failing to secure passage overseas, he returned to the United States, traveling through Alabama, Mexico, and eventually Los Angeles. His movements during this time would lead to the tragic events of 1968, culminating in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an act that cemented Ray’s legacy as one of the most notorious figures in American history.

The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

In April 1968, James Earl Ray arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, under the alias Eric Starvo Galt. He rented a room at a boarding house located near the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the prominent civil rights leader, was staying.

On the evening of April 4, 1968, Ray positioned himself in the bathroom of the boarding house, where he steadied a rifle on the window ledge and fired the shot that fatally wounded King, who was standing on the motel’s balcony. After the shooting, Ray fled the scene, sparking an international manhunt that spanned five countries over more than two months. The FBI, conducting what was then its most extensive and costly investigation, finally apprehended Ray in London on July 19, 1968. He was extradited to the United States, where he pleaded guilty to King’s murder and received a 99-year prison sentence, though he later spent his life attempting to overturn the conviction.

Debate Over Ray’s Role

Despite Ray’s guilty plea, questions about his involvement in King’s assassination persisted. Ray maintained that he was not solely responsible for the crime, claiming that a mysterious figure named Raoul, whom he met in Canada, was the true orchestrator of the plot. Ray suggested that he was set up and, in later years, alleged that the assassination was part of a broader conspiracy involving the government. In 1978, a special congressional committee concluded there was a “likelihood” that Ray did not act alone.

Ray’s story gained unexpected support from the King family in his final years. In a poignant moment before Ray’s death, Dexter King, Dr. King’s son, visited him. During their meeting, Dexter asked Ray about his role in the murder. Ray, frail and suffering from illness, denied involvement, to which Dexter responded, “I believe you,” and shook Ray’s hand.

Personal Life and Death

In 1977, while on trial for a prison escape attempt, Ray met Anna Sandhu, a courtroom artist who would later become his wife. They married in 1978 but divorced in 1992.

James Earl Ray died on April 23, 1998, at Columbia Nashville Memorial Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. His death was attributed to complications from liver disease and kidney failure, conditions he had battled for years.