James Earl Ray was raised as a catholic and had conservative religious beliefs from his childhood. A two month long manhunt spanning five countries was launched by the law enforcement agencies to nab him. 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. Judge Brown's lawyer filed an appeal, but the appeal was refused. In 1962, when King mentioned to Levinson that he was thinking of adding an administrative assistant to his staff, Levinson recommended ODell, who was then head of SCLCs New York office. 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. On the night of the shooting, I had left the rifle with Raoul.. PRPhotos. 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. Some people had trouble, for example, believing Ray had arranged his international escape all by himself, since he had a track record of getting caught for more minor crimes. In March 2014, Brown won the Democratic primary for the position of Shelby County district attorney. "doesn't know anything.". James Earl Ray had traveled to Montreal while on the run, and claimed that he'd met a man named "Raoul" in Montreal, and that Raoul had furnished him with money, and eventually masterminded the King assassination-using Ray as the fall-guy. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In her autobiography, Coretta Scott King wrote how glad she was that both Dexter and young Martin Luther King, III, had a chance to go with their father on . He might have eked out enough money to meet his basic needs (he didn't smoke), but not much more than that. He was named after the church where his father held his first pastorate. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to killing Dr. King; he challenged the plea and failed. (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. James Earl Ray could easily have placed complete faith in Stoner. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Ray told me several times, and I have it on tape, that he bought the rifle that was used in the King slaying. It's a seductive thought. "just to throw the public off. 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. He filmed local prostitutes during their work hours in pursuit of his cinematographic dream, but he eventually left Puerto Vallarta after being jilted by his girlfriend who, coincidentally, was also one of the prostitutes he filmed. On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. A year before, hed escaped from Missouri State Penitentiary while serving a 20-year sentence, and was on the lam at the time King was shot. Ray believed in white supremacy and had strong prejudice against the black people. It got so that the very sight of King would galvanize Ray. In renouncing his guilt, Ray raised the spectre of a conspiracy behind Kings murder but offered scant evidence to support his claim. In 1997, King told Ray personally that both he and his family believed him. Yet given the way the bureau had treated her and her family, her suspicion of the FBI and its conclusions about her husbands killer came from a very reasonable place, says John McMillian, a history professor at Georgia State University. On July 19, he returned to U.S. and the following March he pleaded guilty to murdering King. One week prior to Kings assassination on April 4, 1968 he had gone to Memphis to show support for local sanitation workers. He decided to assassinate him to stop blacks from getting equal status to the whites. Some have indicated that King vs. Jowers was nothing more than a promotional stunt. Ray replied that he did not commit the crime. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Meanwhile, William Bradford Huie, gathering information for his book, They Slew The Dreamer, had taken an interest in George Ben Edmondson. James Earl Ray, (born March 10, 1928, Alton, Illinois, U.S.died April 23, 1998, Nashville, Tennessee), American assassin of the African American civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. That description comes closer to Jerry Ray than to James Earl Ray. In September 1961, I tried to escape and pulled six months in E-Hall, a 100-year-old building whose third floor was for solitary confinement. Even though he played an elitist liberal psychiatrist on "Frasier," Kelsey Grammer is a Republican in real life. In fact, King's family was as convinced of Ray's innocence as the families of Nicole and Ron were convinced of Simpson's guilt. He was right, but he would never be that man. He told the clerks at the Aeromarine Supply Company in Brimingham, Alabama (from where he brought the rifle) that he was going on a hunting trip with his brother. He is the one who sits in leadership and is the most powerful person of a country. For some 50 years, the federal. While attending law school, Brown worked as a substitute teacher. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[3]. 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. Jerry Ray had moved in with Stoner, and shot an intruder who broke into Stoner's office which was in the same building as the living quarters. He was a founder and the long-time chairman of the National States' Rights Party as well as the publisher of its newsletter, The Thunderbolt. Born in a poor family, Ray had a difficult childhood as his father could not support his family. 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. The cartridge case (Q3) found in the Q2 rifle had been fired In the year 1968, Earl Ray brought a Remington Model 760 Gamemaster .30-06-caliber rifle and a box with 20 cartridges. During the six years that James Earl Ray was an inmate at the Missouri State Penitentiary, he kept primarily to himself and, other than for the fact that he attempted to escape on more than one occasion, he had only one conduct violation during that entire time and that was for the possession of three packages of cigarettes, a ball point pen and one pound of coffeeIn addition, you might be interested to know that prior to the Governor's receiving your Mailgram, I personally discussed the allegations and conclusions in the Time magazine article with the author himself, Mr. George McMillan. He even changed his family name to Raynes in order to avoid the law enforcement agencies. There were those who joked about Ray, because of the nature of his attempted escapes. Anyone who remembers the looks on their faces, their resolve and their anger would have to concede that it would have required nothing short of cold hard facts. He guided King in deciding whether to accept or reject public appearances. 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. James Earl Ray did it, case closed! https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/james-earl-ray-30416.php. The Revenge of George Wallace Ray, a hardened thief, robber and a sometimes-moody liar, assassinated the Rev. The ballistics tests proved to be inconclusive and Ray remained in prison. In one instance, the FBI sent him a tape that allegedly contained audio of him having an affair. in the Q2 rifle. Because Ray had previously tried to escape by hiding out inside the prison, the officials assumed this was another bungled attempt, and they began a meticulous search of the prison, which covered 47 acres. Benny and I studied programming together, and in 1966 we worked in the programming office together. As President Ronal Reagan once wrote to former New Hampshire Governor Meldrim Thomson, who had sent a letter to Reagan urging the president not to sign the bill for a holiday honoring King, On the national holiday you mentioned, I have the reservations you have, but here the perception of too many people is based on an image, not reality. King was visiting Memphis to settle a strike by garbage workers. Warren Mass has served The New American since its launch in 1985 in several capacities, including marketing, editing, and writing. Raised in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, Brown graduated as valedictorian[full citation needed] from Dorsey High School. If this self-seeking rabble-rouser is allowed to go through with his plans here, Washington may well be treated to the same kind of violence, destruction, looting, and bloodshed.1. 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). [2] 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. His body was cremated and his ashes were flown to the land of his forefathers, viz. "[20] bullet and also revealed the absence of nitrites (the presence of He was a democrat. I occasionally rented magazines from Ray, but other inmates usually had a larger selection, and better quality magazines. Such a conclusion must be drawn from a premise that the King family was willing to publicly, wrongfully, and unjustifiably vindicate Ray in order to accuse others simply to gain notoriety. Davis and Laster were both shot during that attempt. Judge Horne began increasing the quantity of days Brown could be held in contempt after Brown continued disrupting the court. And, although the FBI later claimed to have interviewed every convict in Jefferson City who had served time with Ray, they never tried to interview me, or Davis, or Laster, or Westberg or anyone I knew. 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. Those who express skepticism at the results of the 1999 trial in which James Earl Ray was found innocent of assassinating King have an incredible hurdle to overcome the belief of the King family, which sides with Ray. James Earl Ray (March 10, 1928 - April 23, 1998) was an American fugitive convicted for assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. He is a male registered to vote in Wayne County, Michigan. Joseph Blakeney Brown Jr. (born July 5, 1947), known as Judge Joe Brown, is a former American lawyer and television personality. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison. Martin Luther King Jr.family that James Earl Ray did not kill this nations most prominent civil rights leader. people lost faith in the political system. One of the most intriguing aspects of the New Times article on James Earl Ray/Jerry Ray/J.B. James Earl Ray knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily James Earl Ray From the viewpoint of a man who served time with Ray in prison, then went on to become a journalist, . A consequence of Kings alleged involvement in those riots was that it caught the attention of some powerful politicians. 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 New Times article also asserted that Jerry Ray, if he were involved, might have been duped himself-might have thought he was setting up something other than an assassination. The introduction to the paper observed that since 1956, King had occupied a prominent role in the drive for equal rights for Negroes in the Untied States. It continued by noting, The course King chooses to follow at this critical time could have momentous impact on the future of race relations in the United States, and for that reason this paper has been prepared to give some insight into the nature of the man himself as well as the nature of his views, goals, objective, tactics, and the reason therefore., The papers summary of Kings planned Washington Spring project is contrary to the image of King painted by most historians as a man who employed only the most peaceful means. Now confident that he could not be recognized, he again began a cross-country drive to Atlanta, Georgia. [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. 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. Los Angeles was the site of Ray's first arrest, for burglary, in 1949, and he ended up serving 90 days in jail. On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Riots erupted in Memphis; one person was killed and sixty were injured. 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. 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. Although Ray had been sentenced from St. Louis, he was not part of the St. Louis "crowd.". After this Ray was on the run and was captured in the UK. But Westberg had been told that the guard did not open the bread box. But within a few days of confessing, Ray began to claim his innocence, arguing that that he had been set up by a man he knew only as Raoul. It was Raoul, Ray said, who had directed him to buy the gun and the binoculars, and rent the room across the street from the motel. 15. This should have been driven home years ago when a surreptitious tape recording was made of J.A. Ray was one of a group of five inmates who escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in June 1977, which Kershaw claimed was additional proof that Ray had been involved in a conspiracy that had provided him with the outside assistance he would have needed to break out of jail. Speech of Senator Robert C. Byrd, Senate Journal, Appendix Two, March 29, 1968. He was a loner. The 12-person jury verdict unanimous exonerated the "patsy" James Earl Ray for any role in the assassination of MLK. The day after the trial ended, Coretta King held a press conference in Atlanta to praise the decision. His law license was entered on the disability inactive list (suspending his ability to practice law in Tennessee), and the discipline case was placed on indefinite hold until such a time as Brown is healthy enough to face the complaint. As for how Welch was able to gather such damning information about King when the FBI files on the activist were classified, much has to do with the fact that there were many patriotic members of the FBI and other agencies who recognized that Welch and the society he founded constituted a trustworthy place to reveal what they knew. When ODells position as a member of the National Committee of the Communist Party was revealed in 1961, King supposedly fired him. James. He was about five years older than me. Ray was born in Alton, IL,in 1928, the son of working class Scots-Irish parents. According to press accounts, Brown became combative and irate after Horne refused to discuss details of the case that were not on the schedule. Christopher S. Bond (now U.S. Benny taught me how to type. This is why I believe they steered FBI investigators toward convicts who really didn't know anything. You would also know who had just gotten a shipment of dope. James Earl Ray was born in a poor family on March 10, 1928 in Alton, Illinois, USA. That investigation declassified scores of memos detailing the bureaus abusive behavior, but did not reveal any evidence that the FBI had formally plotted his death. One thing never mentioned about Ray's time in Jefferson City is the fact he had a nearly exemplary conduct record, with the exception of the two escape attempts. About two months later, Ray tried to escape, and he came to E-Hall. After this, Ray was on the run and was captured in the UK. 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. Kelsey Grammer. Westberg, in turn, liked James Earl Ray. the Democratic Party won the presidency. The facts are these. 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