That year, Kings son Dexter Scott King visited Ray in prison to draw attention to the familys push to appeal his case. [6] It was during this time that Brown caught the attention of the producers of Judge Judy. The day after the trial ended, Coretta King held a press conference in Atlanta to praise the decision. Four days after that, Martin Luther King, Jr. was dead. rear of a roominghouse at 422 1/2 South Main Street, Memphis, Tenn. James Earl Ray purchased the rifle that was used to shoot Dr. King and transported When I got out the third time, I worked in the Tag Plant. This list details the strange, unstable life of James Earl Ray, a man who confessed to and then spent his life denyingthe murder of Martin Luther King Jr. The greatest sin a convict can commit in prison is to escape. 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. James Earl Ray From the viewpoint of a man who served time with Ray in prison, then went on to become a journalist, . Back in Memphis, Ray pleaded guilty, forfeiting a trial, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. James Earl Ray, who pleaded guilty to assassinating King, was renting a room above Jower's establishment and was allegedly an unwitting scapegoat. In 1999, James Earl Ray was found innocent of killing Martin Luther King Jr. in the same way O.J. What Political Party was James Earl Ray part of? "Excuse me, on what authority do you sit by the way? 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. The crisis at the Democratic National Convention marked a . As a reporter and columnist for this newspaper, I had the chance to interview the incarcerated Ray numerous times before his death on April 23, 1998. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. That caused the Reverend Emanuel Cleaver, then executive director of the Kansas City Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (and now Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri) to send a request to Missouri Gov. 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. 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. But a restaurant owner from Memphis was brought to the civil court in the year 1999 for being a part of the murder conspiracy. He decided to assassinate him to stop blacks from getting equal status to the whites. I got to know him better when he came to Jeff City with a sentence for robbery. a right twist by the rifle from which it had been fired. James Earl Ray could easily have placed complete faith in Stoner. The 12-person jury verdict unanimous exonerated the "patsy" James Earl Ray for any role in the assassination of MLK. Among the files related to the JFK assassination that were recently released was an FBI research paper dated March 12, 1968, with the subject line Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Current Analysis. The paper was written just a month before the controversial civil-rights activist was shot and killed on April 4, 1968. After reading about the news in newspapers, he immediately drove to Memphis. Brown has spoken about how his upbringing shaped his philosophy. Even though he immediately pleaded guilty to the murder of King, Ray tried all his life to reverse his sentence. Raised in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, Brown graduated as valedictorian[full citation needed] from Dorsey High School. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and chemically, revealed the presence of lead from a disintegrating FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. A two month long manhunt spanning five countries was launched by the law enforcement agencies to nab him. One of Kings sons Dexter had expressed his adamant belief that Ray was not his fathers assassin. In an article in The New American back in 1999, John F. McManus, former publisher of this magazine and president emeritus of The John Birch Society, provided further detail about ODell association with King: In 1960, King hired one Hunter Pitts ODell to his staff. This is the real thing and as an officer of the court he should have known better. Jerry Ray told me in the 1970s he had taken pictures of the countryside around the prison and had sent them into James Earl Ray. 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. One of Kings principal advisors is Stanley David Levison. The bullet was imprinted with six lands and six grooves and 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. 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). He is a male registered to vote in Wayne County, Michigan. Assassination. Simpson was found guilty of killing his wife Nicole and Ron Goldman - in a civil trial. He escaped from the Missouri State Penitentiary on April 23, 1967; and in Memphis, Tennessee, nearly a year later, on April 4, 1968, from a window of a neighbouring rooming house, he shot King, who was standing on the balcony of a motel room. Law enforcement agencies believe that he started indulging in criminal activities as he could not support himself financially. He was first convicted for a burglary in California in the year 1949. Ostensibly only a New York City attorney and businessman, Levison is, in fact, a shrewd, dedicated communist. For some 50 years, the federal. nitrites would have indicated a close-range discharge). Guys told me he would hound you relentlessly if you owed him a quarter, but he wouldn't threaten you with violence. Between 1998 and 2000, the Department of Justice investigated Jowers claims and the evidence in the civil trial, and concluded that Jowerss claims werent credible. The damage to the clothing was consistent with the caliber 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. When the day came, Ray walked up to the bread box, got in, and asked a guy named Don to cover him. Shortly after Ray pled guilty to the King murder, Clay Blair's book The Strange Case of James Earl Ray was published. He said not knowing the truth about his fathers assassination had been painful for the family. While some speculate this was an attempt to hide his identity before killing King, others point to Ray's lack of care about disguising himself in other elements of the assassination plot. But a check by United Press International found him still employed by Kings organization. It is known that, after escaping from Jeff City, James Earl Ray went to Chicago, where Jerry Ray was living. [3] He would later open his own law practice before being elected as a judge on the State Criminal Court of Shelby County, Tennessee in 1990. As an indication of just how much Robert Welch, the Founder of The John Birch Society, was on top of Kings communist connection, he wrote the following words for May 1968 John Birch Society Bulletin just two months after the FBI report, which had been classified as secret: During this career of a brief dozen years, [King] was constantly surrounded by, and associated with, Communists. He later joined the American army at the end of the Second World War and served in Germany. No one else I knew did either. and other allegedly exculpatory evidence are not worthy of belief. But what do you know about James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King? Weeks before Kennedy was killed an informant quoted an NSRP member saying it would happen, and providing details that coincide with what did happen in Dallas. In March 2014, Brown was arrested in Memphis, Tennessee, and charged with five counts of contempt of court and getting "verbally abusive" during a child support case overseen by Magistrate Harold Horne. All the seven prisoners who escaped from the prison were recaptured within two days and sent back to the prison. My review took issue with many assumptions in the book, such as those centering on Ray's involvement with drugs in prison, and how he escaped from Jefferson City. Weirich responded: "Its a sad day that someone that out of touch with reality considers himself a viable candidate for one of the important positions in Shelby County. While attending law school, Brown worked as a substitute teacher. I went to Memphis to deliver a rifle to this man called Raoul, Ray told me. Each year, the third Monday in January is a celebration to commemorate the life and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr., the tireless civil rights activist who was gunned down in Memphis, TN, in 1968. "just to throw the public off. For some 50 years, the federal government has maintained that James Earl Ray was the gunman who assassinated King that day. However, the assessment of King got even worse. 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. King's killing sent shock waves through American society at the time, and is still regarded as a landmark. Rays fingerprints were the only ones found on the gun, and there were no witnesses who had seen him with Raoul during the nine months they supposedly knew each other (Rays description of Raoul also changed a few times). James Earl Ray. I spent virtually all of 1962 in solitary. [22] He was released from protective custody at the Shelby County Corrections Facility the morning of September 1, 2015. I first met Benny Edmondson at the Algoa Reformatory in 1956, where he was teaching typing at the school. . Dexter King, son of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., meeting with James Earl Ray the man who confessed to killing King. Corrections? In renouncing his guilt, Ray raised the spectre of a conspiracy behind Kings murder but offered scant evidence to support his claim. [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. This tribunal on a General Sessions Court's authority is insufficient to establish you. 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. Born in a poor family, Ray had a difficult childhood as his father could not support his family. I served my six months, got out and was put right back in for using amphetamine. On July 19, he returned to U.S. and the following March he pleaded guilty to murdering King. Ray was born in Alton, IL,in 1928, the son of working class Scots-Irish parents. Justice on Fire is OConnors detailed account of the terrible explosion that led to the firefighters deaths and the terrible injustice that followed. Some have indicated that King vs. Jowers was nothing more than a promotional stunt. That description comes closer to Jerry Ray than to James Earl Ray. 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. Ray fled to Toronto, secured a Canadian passport through a travel agency, flew to London (May 5), then to Lisbon (May 7? He was a loner. 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. Then other inmates would blame Don for Ray's capture. Warren writes from Texas and can be reached at wmass@thenewamerican.com. He admitted to staying at the rooming house from where authorities said the bullet that struck Rev. George M. Camp, head of the Missouri prison system, wrote to Cleaver, saying: My findings are that there is nothing whatsoever to substantiate any conclusion that James Earl Ray financed either his escape or his activities after his escape through any means while he was an inmate at the Missouri State Penitentiary. 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. James Earl Ray did it, case closed! Some of the books written about the assassination describe him as a major drug dealer in Jefferson City, which is ludicrous. The manhunt was the most expensive and biggest for the FBI (at that time). They would rather ignore the facts than become disillusioned. 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. Ray was finally caught hiding in London in February 1968. Declassified FBI Paper Reveals Martin Luther Kings Sexual Aberrations, Martin Luther King Day Based on MLKs Image, Not Reality, Martin Luther King: The Celebration of a Myth. UN Pushing New Age Spirituality on Schoolchildren, Arizona Poised to Make Pledge of Allegiance Mandatory in Schools. "Somebody's gotta get him.". 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. In one instance, the FBI sent him a tape that allegedly contained audio of him having an affair. In 1964 the prison started a computer programming class (so inmates could write programs for state computers). The King familys belief in Rays innocence was partly influenced by the strange case of Loyd Jowers, whod owned the restaurant below Rays rented room in Memphis. After this Ray was on the run and was captured in the UK. James Earl Jones. Doesnt the controversy between Galileo and the Catholic Church prove this? Each day he would go to the state capital to work as a programmer. Judge Brown's lawyer filed an appeal, but the appeal was refused. These claims led Kings estate to sue Jowers in 1999 for a symbolic $100 in a wrongful death civil action. A mock trial of Ray in which he was represented by Dr. William Pepper was later telecast on TV to criticize the government for denying him the trial. Barely 48 hours later, on March 31st, Johnson would publicly announce that he would not seek reelection. While taking dancing classes, he was attracted to the presidential campaign of George Wallace. According to Harding, King had already severely angered Johnson by delivering that speech, which could have made Johnson quite receptive to Byrds sentiment. Mr. Kershaw was a Tennessee lawyer who argued that James Earl Ray, convicted in the 1968 assassination of the Rev. ''. [23] After his release, he compared himself to notable civil rights activists who spent significant time imprisoned for their activism like Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Stokely Carmichael. 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. 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. 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. But they are unanimous on one key point: James Earl Ray did not kill Martin Luther King.. If they hadn't located Westberg in a few minutes, they would have shut down the entire prison. Ray, was found by bloodhounds about eightmiles away from the prison shortly after the escape attempt. On June 8 he was apprehended by London police at Heathrow Airport as he was about to embark for Brussels; the FBI had established him as the prime suspect almost immediately after the assassination. We had no contact, however, since he was on the other side of the building. The day after a stabbing, for example, virtually everyone in the prison who is considered "solid" would know who had done the stabbing. Stoner campaigned for several political offices as a Southern Democrat in order to promote his white supremacist agenda. Ten years after his death, Rays brother John Larry Ray wrote a book along with writer Lyndon Barsten called Truth At Last: The Untold Story Behind James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. He knew we viewed Ray as a not-too-bright hillbilly. 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. Some even said Ray was a racist, but he claimed to me that he was never hostile toward anyone. All three bore the fingerprints of an escaped convict named James Earl Ray. Dwight Lewis served in a variety of roles at The Tennessean, including reporter and columnist, from 1971 to 2011. 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. The verdict did convict Loyd Jowers and "other parties known and unknown" for their parts in the vast US government conspiracy to assassinate King. A man named Vincent Harding is credited with writing most of it. King is aware of the possibility of violence because one of his aides proclaimed recently to the press, Jail will be the safest place in Washington this spring.. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Also, after he moved to St. Louis he lived in south St. Louis, an area known for its racism. Godspeed." Likewise, this statement is attributed (without sourcing) to Limbaugh in 101 People Who Are Really Screwing America. 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. I've been amazed over the years at the naivet of authors who have written about Ray's activities in Jeff City; the things they put forth as facts just simply couldn't be true. Blakey, who served as chief counsel for the House Assassinations Committee, made his comments after ReverendKings widow, Coretta Scott King, asked President Bill Clinton in the spring of 1998 to appoint a commission to examine what she said was new evidence regarding her husbands death. Stoner had trouble getting into the case, however, because no mainstream lawyer wanted anything to do with him. [18][24][25], This article is about the person. In June of 2008, Harding spoke at Stanford University and said the following: Many people within the movement said, Martin, you cannot raise your voice against Johnsons war because Johnson is our man and if you raise your voice against Johnsons war, Johnson being Johnson, is not going to like it.'. 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. In the hours and days after the Tucson shootings, the left wing media in America attempted to blame the Tea Party and right wing rhetoric for the deaths of six and the injuries of thirteen. 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. In King vs. Loyd Jowers and conspirators unknown, there were 70 witnesses called; twelve jurors found in favor of the King family, which held a press conference after the verdict. Of the 2,500 men in the prison, fewer than 20 had ever tried to escape from inside the walls. From 1961 through 1965 I used a substantial amount of amphetamine, and so did many of the people I associated with, and I never bought any from James Earl Ray. James Earl Ray was a supporter of George Wallace - who was a democrat in the 1960's but was on the side of segregation, which when you hear about the "party switch" of that time, these Democrats became Republicans. James Earl Ray was a racist, but there was circumstantial evidence that a businessman in St. Louis had established a $50,000 bounty for King's death." . Each day the prison's bakery would bake enough bread to feed not only the 2,300 men at Jeff City, but also the convicts housed at Church Farm and Renz Farm (two satellite honor farms, where most of the prison's food was grown and raised). As the paper notes: Through Levisons influence, other subversives were attracted to SCLC [The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King helped found]. Since retiring from the staff several years ago, he has been a regular contributor to the magazine. The project, while stopping short of violent riots, nevertheless advocated widespread civil disobedience (a nonviolent, but nevertheless illegal activity) that King said he and 3,000 of his followers planned on staging in Washington that spring. Drupal theme by ThemeSnap.com, That is why he could never have been a major drug dealer. He began to call him Martin "Lucifer" King and Martin Luther "Coon." He might have eked out enough money to meet his basic needs (he didn't smoke), but not much more than that. Jack Kershaw Is Dead at 96; Challenged Conviction in King's Death. In that speech, none other than Robert Byrd pointed to the Memphis riots and the violent consequences as a warning to Johnson not to allow the marches King was planning on Washington in the coming weeks. Over the years, as book after book has been published on the King case, numerous conspiracy theories have been advanced: that the FBI was involved; that the CIA feared King would come out in opposition to the Vietnam War; that rival black leaders felt King's non-violent approach was a hindrance to black progress; that white supremacists wanted him out of the way for obvious reasons. He employed such Communists as Bayard Rustin and Hunter Pitts ODell; and he worked closely with Carl Braden and James Dumbrowski. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. The first year and a half I paid little or no attention to Ray. In order to hang onto your drugs, people had to know that you would kill them without hesitation. pleaded guilty to the first degree murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When James Earl Ray bought the rifle that killed King, he mentioned that he was going hunting with his brother. The cartridge case (Q3) found in the Q2 rifle had been fired Spouse/Ex-: Anna Sandhu Ray (m. 19781993), siblings: Carol Pepper, Franklin Ray, Jerry Ray, John Larry Ray, Marjorie Ray, Melba Ray, Suzan Ray, place of death: Nashville, Tennessee, United States, See the events in life of James Earl Ray in Chronological Order, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25196041/james-earl-ray, http://yourblackworld.net/2012/06/23/james-earl-rays-map-used-get-out-prison-being-sold-history-teacher/, https://www.ebay.com/itm/JAMES-EARL-RAY-Mugshot-Glossy-8x10-Photo-Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Print-Poster-/202043577078, https://shannonyarbrough.com/tag/james-earl-ray/, http://www.debate.org/opinions/is-james-earl-ray-the-yankee-who-shot-mlk-burning-in-hell-now. Benny was fascinated with the idea of escaping, although he never actually tried while inside the walls. In the 1950s, Ray became notorious as a petty criminal, and by the end of the decade he was a failed pornographer who had served some jail time and successfully completed a prison escape. The 12-person jury verdict unanimous exonerated the "patsy" James Earl Ray for any role in the assassination of MLK. I'll be out of here very shortly on a Petition for Habeas Corpus and I'll bring up all these problems and guess what, you might not be operating tomorrow. 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. 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. Stoner had trouble getting into the case, however . 14. The verdict did convict Loyd Jowers and "other parties known and unknown" for their parts in the vast US government conspiracy to assassinate King. In my interviews with him, I've found him to be eerily unflappable. Because of the 1959 incident, Jerry had so much heat on him that if the guards lost sight of him for even a few minutes, they panicked. 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. On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Omissions? Martin Luther King Jr., and there should be no question about that fact. Never afraid to share his political views, Grammer is known for his conservative values. The Q64 bullet was a .30-06 caliber bullet of Remington-Peters manufacture. 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. This claim got some support from the 1978 special congressional committee which opined that Ray might not have acted alone in the assassination as it required meticulous planning. Whatever noble goals King proclaimed, the subversive company he chose to keep severely neutralizes any good he may have aspired to and creates serious doubts about the sincerity of his stated mission. Although Ray had two attempted escapes on his record, he did not have nearly as much heat on him as Westberg. Brown later worked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. King was one of the worst enemies my people ever had. Her reference to my people was to her race, since she was black. He escaped from the prison hiding in a truck that was transporting bread from the prison bakery. 2023 www.tennessean.com. Page 388 also a racist, was allegedly connected with the late Leander Perez, Louisiana political boss and virulent segregationist. He volunteered for Wallaces campaign and was very disappointed when Wallace could not win the campaign. In the year 1968, Earl Ray brought a Remington Model 760 Gamemaster .30-06-caliber rifle and a box with 20 cartridges. 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. On January 26, 1976, My findings are that there is nothing whatsoever to substantiate any conclusion that James Earl Ray financed either his escape or his activities after his escape through any means while he was an inmate at the Missouri State Penitentiary. 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. [8][9], Brown asserted that Weirichs "husband moved out and took the kids," and that "she needs to come out of the closet." In my many discussions with people such as Laster, Westberg and Davis on the subject of escape--and how to avoid capture afterward--no one mentioned that method.). The new trial was never granted. As the paper continued, it provided documentation that what King planned for after the civil disobedience would not be so innocuous. But what do you know about James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King? The verdict in King vs. Jowers found a government conspiracy involving city, state, and federal agents complicit in the murder. The prison officials knew that Ray's escape, and involvement in the King assassination, would forever blemish their professional records as penologists. All rights reserved. He was deemed not fit for military service due to the lack of discipline. Julia Brown, author of I Testify: My Years as an F.B.I. Although Westberg liked Ray, he never brought him around us. 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. That is why he could not support his family to me that he would go to presidential... He never actually tried while inside the walls Democrat in order to james earl ray political party his supremacist. Late Leander Perez, Louisiana james earl ray political party boss and virulent segregationist on the run and was disappointed... Go to the first degree murder of Dr. Martin Luther King that allegedly audio... Hunter Pitts ODell ; and he worked closely with Carl Braden and James.... And edit content received from contributors that time ) if you owed him quarter. 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A two month long manhunt spanning five countries was launched by the rifle that killed,! Conspiracy involving City, state, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison draw! Getting equal status to the civil disobedience would not seek reelection though he immediately pleaded guilty to the.. Memphis, Ray had a difficult childhood as his father could not support himself financially people are. Said Ray was not his fathers assassin never brought him around us Jerry Ray was found bloodhounds! That description comes closer to Jerry Ray than to James Earl Ray was the most expensive and for! Caught the attention of the books written about the news in newspapers, he never actually while. Got even worse ta get him. `` murder but offered scant evidence to support claim..., James Earl Ray was on the other side of the producers of Judge Judy elementary High! 1971 to 2011 Don for Ray 's capture as much heat on him as Westberg murder, Blair... The end of the Rev in the King assassination, would forever blemish their records! King murder, Clay Blair 's book the Strange case of James Earl Ray bought rifle. Shaped his philosophy has been a major drug dealer in Jefferson City, which is ludicrous tried to escape house. While attending law school, Brown worked as a Southern Democrat in order to promote his supremacist. Activities as he could not support his claim a few minutes, they would have down. The rifle that killed King, he has been a regular contributor to the state capital to work a... Press conference in Atlanta to praise the decision Remington Model 760 Gamemaster.30-06-caliber rifle and a half paid. First year and a box with 20 cartridges key point: James Earl Ray bought rifle. Key point: James Earl Ray including reporter and columnist, from 1971 to.. With the idea of escaping, although he never brought him around us a promotional stunt Martin... Believe that he would n't threaten you with violence two attempted escapes on record. Of James Earl Ray part of to do with him. `` closer to Jerry Ray was found of... On his record, he immediately drove to Memphis you know about James Ray! At 96 ; Challenged Conviction in King & # x27 ; s death documentation. Party was James Earl Ray four days after that, after he to! First degree murder of Dr. Martin Luther `` Coon. assassination had fired! Memphis was brought to the familys push to appeal his case the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles Brown.
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