James Earl Ray (March 10, 1928 – April 23, 1998) was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Martin Luther King, Jr.
Ray was convicted on March 10, 1969, after entering a guilty plea to forgo a jury trial. Had he been found guilty by jury trial, he would have been eligible for the death penalty. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and tried unsuccessfully to gain a new trial. He died in prison of hepatitis C.
Read more about James Earl Ray: Early Life, Initial Convictions and First Escape From Prison, Activity in 1967, Activity in Early 1968, Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Second Escape From Prison, Conspiracy Allegations, Death
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“One alone in a Chinese square
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He stood for freedom for us all,
but few care now if he’s jailed or dead.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)
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—William James (1842–1910)
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—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)
“No ray is dimmed, no atom worn,
My oldest force is good as new,
And the fresh rose on yonder thorn
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)