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. "just to throw the public off. Read More:How The Tennessean covered Martin Luther King Jr.'s death in its pages. 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. 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. 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. The other people involved in this conspiracy, Jowers said, included Memphis police officers, a Mafia member and the infamous Raoul. 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. 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. The King family started to publicly voice the opinion in 1997. The facts are these. In the meantime James Earl Ray had also heard about the bread box, probably through Westberg. Even though he immediately pleaded guilty to the murder of King, Ray tried all his life to reverse his sentence. Indeed, to them the perception is reality. (Emphasis in original.). There is abundant evidence of a major high level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta King said at a press conference in 1999, according to The King Center. 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. [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 New American magazine, published twice a month in print and daily online, is the essential news source for freedom-loving Americans. It was then learned he'd been the site engineer for the West German Pavilion at Expo '67 in Montreal. He was a loner. The bureau wiretapped his phone and monitored his movements, taking advantage of times when he seemed particularly upset or depressed. Back in Memphis, Ray pleaded guilty, forfeiting a trial, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Since Ray's arrest for the assassination, he has become mythified. It wasn't until November 9, 1970--years after Ray escaped from Jefferson City--that inmates were allowed to purchase small black-and-white television sets, which they could keep in their cells. 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. James Earl White (born July 16, 1964) is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 19, which encompassed Polk, Hardin, Jasper, Newton, and Tyler counties. The massive publicity surrounding Benny's capture caused Gold Medal Books to contact him and ask him to write 20,000 words of autobiographical data, so they could bring out an "instant" paperback book about him. In the year 1977, Ray escaped from the prison for the second time along with six other convicts from the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary located in Petros, Tennessee. 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. assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.: The assassin: James Earl Ray, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Earl-Ray, James Earl Ray - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Don told me later he was stunned; but he knew if he hesitated too long, a guard would catch Ray. Based on the results of a civil trial in 1999, Byrds speech would have almost necessarily have played an even more direct role if the verdict is to be accepted. 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. All rights reserved. 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. The manhunt was the most expensive and biggest for the FBI (at that time). Simpson was found guilty of killing his wife Nicole and Ron Goldman - in a civil trial. As with most cases, the answer is yes. in the Q2 rifle. 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. 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.'. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Simpson was found guilty of killing his wife Nicole and Ron Goldman in a civil trial. nitrites would have indicated a close-range discharge). An hour later, he was declared dead. This should have been driven home years ago when a surreptitious tape recording was made of J.A. His perceived inability to deal successfully with those problems led to an overwhelming defeat in his bid for reelection. However, immediately following King's killing, U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark announced that the killing was the work of a lone assassin. Said Byrd: Yesterday, Mr. President, the Nation was given a preview of what may be in store for this city by the outrageous and despicable riot that Martin Luther King helped to bring about in Memphis, Tenn. 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). Once, while pulling a robbery, the victims refused to give Ray the money, and he fell out of a window and damned near killed himself. According to Harding, King had already severely angered Johnson by delivering that speech, which could have made Johnson quite receptive to Byrds sentiment. An international manhunt led to his capture in June 1968 at Heathrow Airport in London, where he was caught carrying two fake Canadian passports. There were those who joked about Ray, because of the nature of his attempted escapes. Warden Swenson of the Jeff City prison immediately issued an edict that convicts could no longer correspond with editors. The 12-person jury verdict unanimous exonerated the "patsy" James Earl Ray for any role in the assassination of MLK. When the day came, Ray walked up to the bread box, got in, and asked a guy named Don to cover him. 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. 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. Then, the (U.S.) House Assassinations Committee spent two years and $2.5 million investigating the case. 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. James Earl Ray (born 1965) is listed at 42036 Queen Anne Ct Northville, Mi 48167 and has no known political party affiliation. In that atmosphere, escape became almost impossible. 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. Although it is often. All the seven prisoners who escaped from the prison were recaptured within two days and sent back to the prison. He was deemed not fit for military service due to the lack of discipline. Ray watched it all on the cell-block TV at Jeff City. They were not going to have me, or any other convict, expounding on the subject of Ray. Kershaw made Ray to take a polygraph test as part of an interview with Playboy. 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.). and other allegedly exculpatory evidence are not worthy of belief. King was fired. Among the evidence was a recording of Jowers in which he suggested he was interested in fabricating his story for financial gain. During this period James Earl Ray was most noticeable as a guy who rented out magazines on the yard. Happy 300th Birthday, Richard Price! 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. Ostensibly only a New York City attorney and businessman, Levison is, in fact, a shrewd, dedicated communist. 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. Omissions? The verdict in King vs. Jowers found a government conspiracy involving city, state, and federal agents complicit in the murder. It was important for the government to have a lone killer-since blacks across the nation were rioting, and proof of a white conspiracy to kill the black civil-rights leader would have caused a racial explosion. In prison I knew men who would stab you to death over a carton of cigarettes, or for even a slight insult. The bread box would have to pass through the truck tunnel, where all incoming and outgoing vehicles were searched. The Committee Believes, on the Basis of the Circumstantial Evidence Available to it, that there is a Likelihood that James Earl Ray Assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King, JR., as a Result of a Conspiracy. Some have indicated that King vs. Jowers was nothing more than a promotional stunt. Its important to note that this verdict was not a criminal conviction, as is sometimes erroneously implied when this case surfaces online. After several days, the prison officials concluded that Ray had actually escaped, and they put out an alarm. As noted, the committee concluded that James Earl Ray was the assassin of Dr. King. But what do you know about James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King? There is an important flaw in that logic as well; the defendant was only sued for $100, which he was ordered to pay. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. This doesnt mean that Ray couldnt have received assistance. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Ray told me several times, and I have it on tape, that he bought the rifle that was used in the King slaying. A consequence of Kings alleged involvement in those riots was that it caught the attention of some powerful politicians. The explanation is much simpler. After the publication of the Playboy story, Ray fired Kershaw when he found that Playboy paid him $11,000 for facilitating the interview. He believed that King was a serious threat to the dominance of white people in the USA and wanted to stop him through any means. The cells that I was associated with in Cleveland were continually being asked to raise funds for Martin Luther Kings activities. She also said, Mr. In fact, Kings family was as convinced of Rays innocence as the families of Nicole and Ron were convinced of Simpsons guilt. 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." . A member of the Republican Party, White was first elected in District 12 in 2010, which then included Angelina, San Jacinto, Trinity, and Tyler counties.He left office on August 11, 2022. 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), Evidence of Ray's contact with his brothers, 1967-68, Motive with respect to John and Jerry Ray, The backgrounds of Kauffmann and Sutherland, How to File a FOIA Request for Archival Records. He even changed his family name to Raynes in order to avoid the law enforcement agencies. Jack Kershaw Is Dead at 96; Challenged Conviction in King's Death. That is why he could never have been a major drug dealer. In June 1977 Ray escaped from Brushy Mountain (Tennessee) Prison and remained at large for 54 hours before being recaptured in a massive manhunt. James Earl Jones. In only two decades, the white population fell by over 300,000; DC became majority-black in the late 1950s.. The George Wallace Democrat of the 1960's aligns with the and is the Republican Party we know today. The day after a stabbing, for example, virtually everyone in the prison who is considered "solid" would know who had done the stabbing. Dwight Lewis served in a variety of roles at The Tennessean, including reporter and columnist, from 1971 to 2011. He employed such Communists as Bayard Rustin and Hunter Pitts ODell; and he worked closely with Carl Braden and James Dumbrowski. Most of my friends were people I'd known in reform school, or people I'd met through them. Levison has spent the major part of his life advancing communist interests. 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. Ray pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Brown was sentenced to five days in jail,[7][15] but was later released on his own recognizance. Those of us who had been involved in escape attempts did not consider Ray a joke. Just once, he was caught with three packs of cigarettes, a pound of coffee and a ballpoint pen. King said he liked the idea. Stoner certainly wasnt the only radical white supremacist running around, however-just the best known. Never afraid to share his political views, Grammer is known for his conservative values. He is a male registered to vote in Wayne County, Michigan. 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. On the night of the shooting, I had left the rifle with Raoul.. Brown then said, "OK, OK, I'll tell you what. James Earl Ray Sirhan Sirhan Jack Ruby. King family never believed that Ray was the actual murderer. I've seen it happen again and again. 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. On June 11, 1977, while housed at the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, TN, Ray and five other inmates escaped. Julia Brown, author of I Testify: My Years as an F.B.I. The jury awarded the money to the estate, deciding that Kings assassination had likely beenthe result of a conspiracy that involved Jowers, not Ray, as well as ''others, including governmental agencies.''. In 1977, New Times magazine suggested that Jerry Ray and "Raoul" were one and the same. [13], Brown is twice divorced and has two sons from his first marriage.[14]. ''. Ray, was found by bloodhounds about eightmiles away from the prison shortly after the escape attempt. Early life [ edit] The new trial was never granted. He was of Irish, Scots, and Welsh ancestry. No new evidence has been presented in the King killing since then. Top of Page 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. One day he walked away, and it was rumored he took $5,000 of state money with him. A two month long manhunt spanning five countries was launched by the law enforcement agencies to nab him. She told a congressional subcommittee that while she was a member of the Communist Party, she knew Martin Luther King to be closely connected with the Communist Party. Brown joined The American Opinion Speakers Bureau, and while on the lecture circuit, she told audiences that King was the hero of Americas Communists. (Benny had taken two years of civil engineering in college.). 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 was J.B. Stoner's campaign manager when Stoner ran for Governor of Georgia against Jimmy Carter. 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. Judge Horne did have the authority to hold him in contempt. [4] By 1978, Brown became the first African-American prosecutor in Memphis, and he later directed the Memphis public defender's office. McMillan, and through him Time magazine, are also the primary sources for the general belief that Ray financed his after-escape activities with money earned in Jeff City. Senator in Robert Byrd. Manhunt in the mountains: James Earl Ray and the Brushy Mountain Prison breakout of 1977, How The Tennessean covered Martin Luther King Jr.'s death in its pages, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. In the year 1959, he was caught stealing $120 from a Kroger Store in St. Louis. [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. After the assassination, King's family did not trust the findings of the FBI, which had harassed the civil rights leader while he was alive. 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," They might not have been involved in the murder, McMillian observes of the FBI, but I wish people knew the really shameful things that they did.. You would also know who had just gotten a shipment of dope. Martin Luther King Jr., and there should be no question about that fact. Part of his life to reverse his sentence, included Memphis police officers a! Knew men who would stab you to death over a carton of cigarettes, or for even a slight.. 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