But it turned out that rather than discharging this key Red, he had transferred and promoted ODell to a higher post within Kings Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Some even said Ray was a racist, but he claimed to me that he was never hostile toward anyone. Ray replied that he did not commit the crime. 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. It would later be learned that Ray's classification card contained erroneous fingerprints, which were initially distributed nationally. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Westberg, in turn, liked James Earl Ray. Justice on Fire is OConnors detailed account of the terrible explosion that led to the firefighters deaths and the terrible injustice that followed. On 30 January 1961, Dexter Scott King, the third child of Martin and Coretta Scott King, was born. According to Harding, King had already severely angered Johnson by delivering that speech, which could have made Johnson quite receptive to Byrds sentiment. Ray was not married and details of his relationships with any women are not known. We knew that anytime you try to escape from a maximum-security prison you run the risk of being shot. Kelsey Grammer. Riots erupted in Memphis; one person was killed and sixty were injured. 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. Whether anybody helped him indirectly has yet to be determined. Martin Luther King Jr., and there should be no question about that fact. Yes, the President is part of the political party. It got so that the very sight of King would galvanize Ray. All rights reserved. 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. Assassination. 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. While taking dancing classes, he was attracted to the presidential campaign of George Wallace. This tribunal on a General Sessions Court's authority is insufficient to establish you. Kershaw made Ray to take a polygraph test as part of an interview with Playboy. Read More:How The Tennessean covered Martin Luther King Jr.'s death in its pages. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. But what do you know about James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King? Their goal was to cover all aspects of true crime: Read More, Contents Copyright 1998-2020 by Crime Magazine | J. Patrick O'Connor Editor | E-mail CrimeMagazine.com, Designed by Orman. It's a seductive thought. The US will celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr on Monday, January 18, 2021, remembering all of the tremendous strides the activist-led in promoting civil liberties for all Americans. 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. 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. 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. 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. Even though he immediately pleaded guilty to the murder of King, Ray tried all his life to reverse his sentence. They would rather ignore the facts than become disillusioned. This doesnt mean that Ray couldnt have received assistance. One of the most intriguing aspects of the New Times article on James Earl Ray/Jerry Ray/J.B. Martin Luther King Jr.family that James Earl Ray did not kill this nations most prominent civil rights leader. 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. (153) 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. [6] It was during this time that Brown caught the attention of the producers of Judge Judy. I served my six months, got out and was put right back in for using amphetamine. Ray was born in Alton, IL,in 1928, the son of working class Scots-Irish parents. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. As the paper continued, it provided documentation that what King planned for after the civil disobedience would not be so innocuous. There were no cellblock TVs in Jefferson City in 1963 and 1964. In prison I knew men who would stab you to death over a carton of cigarettes, or for even a slight insult. 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. Judge Brown's lawyer filed an appeal, but the appeal was refused. James Earl Ray, a 40-year-old convicted armed robber who had escaped from the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, Mo., on April 23, 1967, pleaded guilty on March 10, 1969, in Shelby County (Tenn.) Criminal Court to the first degree murder of Dr. King. Ray, a hardened thief, robber and a sometimes-moody liar, assassinated the Rev. I first met Benny Edmondson at the Algoa Reformatory in 1956, where he was teaching typing at the school. Could Chinas Petroyuan Give Rise to a New World Energy Order? He was immediately extradited to USA. 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.. The facts tend to be the same, G. Robert Blakey, a law professor at Notre Dame University, told me on April 8, 1998 during an interview as I worked as a columnist for The Tennessean. a right twist by the rifle from which it had been fired. Each day he would go to the state capital to work as a programmer. 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. 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 told me several times, and I have it on tape, that he bought the rifle that was used in the King slaying. In 1999, James Earl Ray was found innocent of killing Martin Luther King Jr. in the same way O.J. After reading about the news in newspapers, he immediately drove to Memphis. Guys told me he would hound you relentlessly if you owed him a quarter, but he wouldn't threaten you with violence. But for veteran crime writer and crusading editor J. Patrick OConnor, the factsor a lack of themdidnt add up. At the same time I was getting more involved in art, and my thoughts were turning away from escape and toward trying to make parole. Ray, although not personally motivated by racism, comes from a rural background where blacks are not highly regarded. 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. Law enforcement agencies believe that he started indulging in criminal activities as he could not support himself financially. [22] He was released from protective custody at the Shelby County Corrections Facility the morning of September 1, 2015. Ray fled from the scene immediately and could not be located immediately by the police. He also founded his own white supremacist party. Some of the books written about the assassination describe him as a major drug dealer in Jefferson City, which is ludicrous. Don told me later he was stunned; but he knew if he hesitated too long, a guard would catch Ray. 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. But a restaurant owner from Memphis was brought to the civil court in the year 1999 for being a part of the murder conspiracy. Early Ray fired a single shot by standing in the bathtub of his shared room and balancing the rifle on a window ledge. After the publication of the Playboy story, Ray fired Kershaw when he found that Playboy paid him $11,000 for facilitating the interview. But a check by United Press International found him still employed by Kings organization. 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? By that time I was classified as incorrigible. 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. 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. 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. Over several decades, federal investigators have routinely concluded that Raoul doesnt exist. Why did James Earl Ray have cancer? "just to throw the public off. James Earl Ray could easily have placed complete faith in Stoner. 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. The only thing publicity could do was further humiliate them. 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. Jerry began to follow my lead, and that became a source of friction among me, Laster and Westberg. Of the 2,500 men in the prison, fewer than 20 had ever tried to escape from inside the walls. A two month long manhunt spanning five countries was launched by the law enforcement agencies to nab him. The first time I saw James Earl Ray, he had just arrived at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. Warden Swenson of the Jeff City prison immediately issued an edict that convicts could no longer correspond with editors. McMillans false scenarios portray Ray as a rabid racist in prison. 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 paper stated that King had announced that this action would disrupt the normal course of business and, in fact, close down the nations capital. As with most cases, the answer is yes. The verdict did convict Loyd Jowers and "other parties known and unknown" for their parts in the vast US government conspiracy to assassinate King. . 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. Ray believed in white supremacy and had strong prejudice against the black people. After he was recaptured, Ray hired attorney Jack Kershaw to promote his claim that he was not the person who actually shot King. The New American magazine, published twice a month in print and daily online, is the essential news source for freedom-loving Americans. He was a loner. It is known that, after escaping from Jeff City, James Earl Ray went to Chicago, where Jerry Ray was living. In fact, Kings family was as convinced of Rays innocence as the families of Nicole and Ron were convinced of Simpsons guilt. 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. He is a former Shelby County, Tennessee Criminal Court judge and a former arbiter of the arbitration-based reality court show Judge Joe Brown. ", The Miami police were sufficiently impressed with Milteer's seriousness that the Secret Service was alerted, and an imminent presidential motorcade into the city was canceled. Ray spent the rest of his life in prison and suffered with kidney and liver ailments in his last years. I know they interviewed some inmates, but they did not interview the people most likely to know something (and also the most likely to tell them to go to hell). [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. 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