He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law. In a story published based on the test, Playboy claimed that Ray had committed the crime alone. It seems clear to me that there was a conspiracy to murder King, and that James Earl Ray was involved. Later, though, he claimed he left the prints to gain international notoriety. Although Ray had been sentenced from St. Louis, he was not part of the St. Louis "crowd.". James Earl Ray was the assassin of American Baptist minister and civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ray was born in on March 10, 1928 in a poor Irish-American family of Alton, Illinois, and was raised a Catholic. It was a clear case of arson, and five people from Marlborough were duly convicted of the crime. Moreover, Jerry Ray and James Earl Ray are close. The damage to Dr. King's clothing, when tested microscopically ), where he secured a second Canadian passport (May 16), and back to London (May 17?). UN Pushing New Age Spirituality on Schoolchildren, Arizona Poised to Make Pledge of Allegiance Mandatory in Schools. Each year, the third Monday in January is a celebration to commemoratethe life and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr., the tireless civil rights activist who was gunned down in Memphis, TN, in 1968. Dr. Martin . Back in Memphis, Ray pleaded guilty, forfeiting a trial, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray spent the rest of his life in prison and suffered with kidney and liver ailments in his last years. After the King shooting, one person living at the rooming house where the shot was fired described the assassin as heavy set with receding hair. Brown claimed that the sentence was excessive, and that he should have only been fined; Dan Michael, the Shelby County Juvenile Court chief magistrate that found Brown in contempt, responded that "This is not Hollywood. He said not knowing the truth about his fathers assassination had been painful for the family. The 20-page paper, which was classified as secret, was reviewed by the FBI/JFK Task Force in 1994, which denied the release of its contents. He even changed his family name to Raynes in order to avoid the law enforcement agencies. There were always convict clerks assigned to the reception area, and the fingerprints could have been switched--either because Ray had paid someone to do it, or, just as likely, because some convict wanted to help Ray beat the system. Some of the books written about the assassination describe him as a major drug dealer in Jefferson City, which is ludicrous. All three bore the fingerprints of an escaped convict named James Earl Ray. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The restaurant owner named Memphis Police . Using their logic, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. should be attributed to a Democratic U.S. But for veteran crime writer and crusading editor J. Patrick OConnor, the factsor a lack of themdidnt add up. A consequence of Kings alleged involvement in those riots was that it caught the attention of some powerful politicians. They laid out the evidence before he entered his plea, and he said, OK. He said his lawyers were incompetent, and that proved false. He did not want to be buried in the USA because he considered that the American government did not treat him fairly. When, without warning, Ray was allowed to plead guilty and was sentenced to 99 years, without a public trial, millions of people suspected a cover-up. "just to throw the public off. But what do you know about James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King? We got involved in several schemes, but our lack of mobility made it difficult to function. He was unable to give me any specifics but just responded that "it was common knowledge.". Benny was eventually placed on the FBI's 10-Most-Wanted list and was captured in Canada, where he was posing as an engineer and had married a school teacher. After Kings violent death, and the sealing of most government files related to King, the natural tendency of people to not want to speak ill of the dead set in. He was transferred to the maximum security facility called Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville which had hospital facilities. Ray left school when he was just fifteen due to his familys financial condition. Some in the community took offense to this assertion since the incident took place during Brown's Shelby County district attorney campaign and Brown brought his own lawyer with him during the 2014 incident, causing many to wonder if it was a ploy for publicity. It was a theory she maintained until her death in 2006 that has so far never been proven. After Ray was arrested for the assassination of Martin Luther King, it was widely believed that those erroneous prints were proof that the King conspiracy began in Jefferson City, and that someone employed at the prison was involved. Very few conservatives are aware of the pledge's socialist origins. Warren Mass has served The New American since its launch in 1985 in several capacities, including marketing, editing, and writing. That is why he could never have been a major drug dealer. An hour later, he was declared dead. The Q64 bullet was a .30-06 caliber bullet of Remington-Peters manufacture. Just before Ray escaped from prison in Tennessee he was visited by his brother. If you saw the movie Boyz n the Hood, that was the way I grew up. His fathers name was George Ellis Ray and his mothers name was Lucille. Unfortunately, the scene described by McMillan could not have happened. James Earl Ray knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily As one example, Dan Smoot, a former FBI agent, was a steadfast anti-Communist who became associated with The John Birch Society and wrote for the societys American Opinion and The Review Of The News magazines. Stoner campaigned for several political offices as a Southern Democrat in order to promote his white supremacist agenda. When James Earl Ray bought the rifle that killed King, he mentioned that he was going hunting with his brother. 10 Disturbing and Unexplained Facts About James Earl Ray, MLK's Assassin. bullet and also revealed the absence of nitrites (the presence of Long before Ray was captured-before anyone could have known the details of what had happened in Memphis--the U.S. government had committed itself to the lone assassin theory; to such an extent, I was told later by white extremists in the South, that they were surprised by the government's failure to question even such notable racists as J.B. Stoner or leading figures in the Ku Klux Klan. Sometime before 4:00 p.m. on April 4, 1968, James Earl Ray parked his white Mustang on South Main Street and, under an assumed name, rented a room in the second floor rooming house directly above the grill. Kelsey Grammer. Ray, a white supporter of segregationist George Wallace, was a career criminal whod been convicted at least four separate times for robbing a cafe, a taxi, a post office and a grocery store. James Earl Ray. The prosecutors have enough efficient evidence in establishing guilt against James Earl Ray concerning the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. First, James Earl Ray was in close enough vicinity of the Lorraine Hotel to successfully fire a clear shot to kill Dr. King from only a block away. He volunteered for Wallaces campaign and was very disappointed when Wallace could not win the campaign. Page 388 also a racist, was allegedly connected with the late Leander Perez, Louisiana political boss and virulent segregationist. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection, John McAdams (The John F. Kennedy Assassination Information Center), Dr. King was killed by one shot fired from in front of him. Search for the Killer (April 4- June 8, 1968), the Young & Morrow rooming house Examine the rooming house where James Earl Ray stayed on the day of the assassination, the bathroom window documented as the site of the fatal shot, evidence recovered at the scene, and evidence leading to the capture and arrest of James Earl Ray. In my interviews with him, I've found him to be eerily unflappable. He made the FBI Most Wanted List before his recapture. After reading about the news in newspapers, he immediately drove to Memphis. He was named after the church where his father held his first pastorate. James Earl Ray was a racist, but there was circumstantial evidence that a businessman in St. Louis had established a $50,000 bounty for Kings death.. The murder of Lee Harvey Oswald had closed the door to an open trial that might have answered the question of whether Oswald acted alone, or was part of a conspiracy. So, even if I conceded the possibility that Ray had sold drugs, it would have been in small quantities, and for a brief period of time. In only two decades, the white population fell by over 300,000; DC became majority-black in the late 1950s.. In any event, the prison officials never placed him in the same category as Davis, Laster and Westberg, who would unhesitatingly use weapons while escaping. When I tried to mail my review to The Star, the prison officials refused to allow it to leave the prison. Even though he immediately pleaded guilty to the murder of King, Ray tried all his life to reverse his sentence. Top of Page Ray was finally caught hiding in London in February 1968. Over several decades, federal investigators have routinely concluded that Raoul doesnt exist. Westberg, in turn, liked James Earl Ray. King was one of the worst enemies my people ever had. Her reference to my people was to her race, since she was black. We knew that anytime you try to escape from a maximum-security prison you run the risk of being shot. With it came a letter threatening King with public exposure if he didnt kill himself, and claiming that the sender had evidence of other affairs. King still tried to hide ODell in his organization until July, 1963, when he accepted ODells resignation. As King put it, ODells release was not because of connections between ODell and the CPUSA but because of the emotional public response. 14. Wardens and guards know that an escape artist is a threat to their livelihood; more guards and wardens have lost their jobs because of escapes than for any other reason. On January 26, 1976, Time magazine devoted four pages to the King assassination, drawing heavily on material from McMillan's book, which was scheduled for publication later that year: In 1963 and 1964 Martin Luther King was on TV almost every day, talking defiantly about how black people were going to get their rights, insisting that they would accept with nonviolence all the terrible violence that white people were inflicting on them, until the day of victory arrived, until they did overcome. James Earl Ray lowers his head as State Safety commissioner Greg O'Rear, white hat, and Highway Patrol Maj. Mickey McGuire, dark glasses, lead him to prison in Nashville, Tenn., March 11, 1969. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. In 1999, James Earl Ray was found innocent of killing Martin Luther King Jr. in the same way O.J. "Somebody's gotta get him.". King's killing sent shock waves through American society at the time, and is still regarded as a landmark. The coffee was contraband. In the year 1952, he served a two year prison sentence for the armed robbery of a cab driver. On the night of November 29, 1988, near the impoverished Marlborough neighborhood in south Kansas City, an explosion at a construction site killed six of the citys firefighters. This is why I believe they steered FBI investigators toward convicts who really didn't know anything. They were not going to have me, or any other convict, expounding on the subject of Ray. In 1967, he returned to the United States (Los Angeles) from Mexico and took dancing classes in a bartending school. period immediately preceding the assassination, James Earl Ray fled the scene of the crime immediately after the assassination, James Earl Ray's alibi for the time of the assassination, his story of "Raoul," When ODell was again exposed, King went through the same routine of announcing his dismissal. Who Was James Earl Ray? James Earl Ray was born in a poor family on March 10, 1928 in Alton, Illinois, USA. Dexter and his family too believed that he did not commit the crime and urged the government to grant a new trial to Ray. Now he is presumed to be guilty until he proves his innocence. Ray confessed to the crime on March 10, 1969 and received a 99-year prison sentence, which increased to a 100-year sentence after he briefly escaped in 1977. When authorities caught him in London, hed been planning to travel to Rhodesia, a former African state ruled by a white minority in present-day Zimbabwe. Under the sub-head Communist Exposed, the paper went on to reveal more about ODell: King was forced to get rid of Hunter Pitts ODell in October, 1962, when several newspaper articles exposed ODells connection with SCLC and his communist affiliations. FBI investigators at the time traced the shot to a rooming house across the street, and witnesses directed them to a large bundle dropped on the sidewalk after the shooting. Could Chinas Petroyuan Give Rise to a New World Energy Order? Brown, who retains his law license, was reviewing a child support matter as a favor to an acquaintance. The date was November 9, 1963. six grooves with a right twist. The paper quotes Kings statement explaining his strategy: To dislocate the function of a city without destroying it can be more effective than a riot, because it can be longer lasting, costly to society, and not wantonly destructive., Kings admission that the strategy he planned for Washington, D.C, would be costly to society is startling in view of a fact noted in The Urban Institute report, Our Changing City, which observed: 1950 also marked the start of the white exodus to the suburbs. At that time, King was well aware of Levisons and ODells communist affiliations. Charley McCracken, a friend from the St. Louis City Jail, pointed him out to me in H-Hall, where the newly arriving convicts at the maximum-security penitentiary were oriented. They would rather ignore the facts than become disillusioned. He simply hounded you (not that Ray was a coward, or afraid to fight, but he wasn't the type to start the fight). [13], Brown is twice divorced and has two sons from his first marriage.[14]. Indeed, a former agent from the FBIs field office in Atlanta said the bureaus tracking of King was second only to the way they went after Jimmy Hoffa. In 1975, a group of former FBI agents called on Congress to investigate this harrassment. The George Wallace Democrat of the 1960's aligns with the and is the Republican Party we know today. Among the evidence was a recording of Jowers in which he suggested he was interested in fabricating his story for financial gain. Ray said he wasnt in the room when King was shot, but he was unable to consistently explain where he had been, or keep other important details in his story straight. Ray had seven siblings. Martin Luther King Jr., and there should be no question about that fact. While taking dancing classes, he was attracted to the presidential campaign of George Wallace. Was James earl ray white? All Rights Reserved. One day he walked away, and it was rumored he took $5,000 of state money with him. James Earl Ray was an American assassin convicted for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. After his conviction, he spent all his life in prison. Wait Who? As a former judge here, we have a rule in the 30th Judicial Districtit says every single Magistrate Referee has to be unanimously approved by every Circuit, Chancery, and Criminal Court Judge. It was then learned he'd been the site engineer for the West German Pavilion at Expo '67 in Montreal. Stoner had trouble getting into the case, however, because no mainstream lawyer wanted anything to do with him. The next section of the FBI paper was subheaded Strong Communist Influence. It pulled no punches in stating: Another complicating factor in the picture is the degree of communist influence on King. From the viewpoint of a man who served time with Ray in prison, then went on to become a journalist, and continued to follow the case, with some emphasis on Ray's mentality, how he escaped from prison, and why there is reason to believe white supremacists may have been behind King's murder. [22] He was released from protective custody at the Shelby County Corrections Facility the morning of September 1, 2015. Read More:People died for your right to vote. Also available from Amazon, With the purpose of writing about true crime in an authoritative, fact-based manner, veteran journalists J. J. Maloney and J. Patrick OConnor launched Crime Magazine in November of 1998. A Democratic Senator from West Virginia delivered an extremely incendiary speech on the Senate Floor that was directed specifically at President Lyndon Johnson, also a Democrat. This is the real thing and as an officer of the court he should have known better. McMillan is the primary source for the widespread belief that Ray was a major drug dealer in Jeff City; that he smuggled large sums of money out of prison; that he used that money to finance his travels after his escape. So Westberg, who was assigned to work in the kitchen at that time, figured a man could get in the bread box, have a tray of bread placed on top of him, and pass right out of the prison (the box also had a lid over the top tray of bread). Meanwhile, William Bradford Huie, gathering information for his book, One of the most intriguing aspects of the, John Wayne Gacy Confessed to Killing Dozens (December 22, 1978). As the paper continued, it provided documentation that what King planned for after the civil disobedience would not be so innocuous. Dexter King, son of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., meeting with James Earl Ray the man who confessed to killing King. Westberg was the first to learn that the bread box wasn't searched. He might have eked out enough money to meet his basic needs (he didn't smoke), but not much more than that. Some have indicated that King vs. Jowers was nothing more than a promotional stunt. Yes, the President is part of the political party. (Several authors have said it was "common knowledge" in Jeff City that you could go to England and acquire an ID the way Ray did. it near 424 South Main Street, It is highly probable that James Earl Ray stalked Dr. King for a B. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Also, after he moved to St. Louis he lived in south St. Louis, an area known for its racism. For the television series, see, "I left the Demo Pty Plantation long ago I'm an Independent", "Voters verdict: Weirich over TV's Joe Brown", "TV's Judge Joe Brown Arrested In Tennessee", "Former TV Judge Joe Brown Stumbles In Bid To Become Tennessee District Attorney", Judge Joe Brown uncorks a shocker taunting Weirich about her sexuality Memphis Flyer Jackson Baker July 2, 2014, "District Attorney Weirich sails to victory over challenger Joe Brown", "Judge Joe Brown in Jail for Contempt of Court", "Former TV judge Joe Brown can't practice law in Tennessee", "MSCS Chairwoman Michelle McKissack considers mayoral run", "Judge Joe Brown: The rant, the mugshot, the jokes", "TV's Judge Joe Brown jailed by real judge after courtroom argument, court says", "TV judge Joe Brown begins 5-day jail term", "Judge Joe Brown: Hear What He Said That Got Him Arrested", "Judge Joe Brown Begins Jail Sentence for Contempt of Court After 2014 Courtroom Outburst", "Joe Brown loses appeal over juvenile court outburst", "After the Campaign - Memphis Daily News", "Was Judge Joe Brown's Arrest A Publicty Stunt? As a loner, it would be impossible for Ray to deal large quantities of drugs, because one of the cliques would simply rob him, and there wouldn't be much he could do, alone, against a clique with a dozen members. He was sentenced to 99 years at the State penitentiary. Although Benny was eventually released from prison and returned to work for the engineering firm he'd been employed by at the time of his arrest in Canada, interest in him by then had died out, and the book was never published. But a restaurant owner from Memphis was brought to the civil court in the year 1999 for being a part of the murder conspiracy. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). people lost faith in the political system. Hunter Pitts ODell, former National Committee member of the CPUSA, was employed by SCLC. The Rays would have had many opportunities to meet racists. That was a bunch of baloney. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. [16] Brown surrendered to the Shelby County Sheriff on August 27, 2015, to serve his five-day sentence at the Shelby County Corrections Facility in Memphis. Joseph Blakeney Brown Jr. (born July 5, 1947), known as Judge Joe Brown, is a former American lawyer and television personality. Ray, whose previous history as a criminal was notable only for its ineptness, fled to Canada after the killing, assumed a new identity complete with credentials, then fled to England where he was arrested trying to fly out to another country. The 20-page paper, which was classified as. J.B. Stoner, however, would certainly have had the know-how for both, plus the white-supremacist background to explain why he would do it. Omissions? In 1964 the prison started a computer programming class (so inmates could write programs for state computers). Born in a poor family, Ray had a difficult childhood as his father could not support his family. Jimmy Carter, in full James Earl Carter, Jr., (born October 1, 1924, Plains, Georgia, U.S.), 39th president of the United States (1977-81), who served as the country's chief executive during a time of serious problems at home and abroad. It is known that, after escaping from Jeff City, James Earl Ray went to Chicago, where Jerry Ray was living. On March 28th, riots took place in Memphis and King was present; on March 29th, Democrat Senator Byrd threw down the gauntlet with Democrat president Lyndon Baines Johnson by delivering a fiery speech on the Senate Floor intended to get the president to stop Kings march; Johnson announced on March 31st that he would not seek reelection; a bullet would take the life of King days later on April 4th, one year to the day after delivering what many viewed as an incendiary speech at the time. Christopher S. Bond (now U.S. What Political Party was James Earl Ray part of? 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