Martin_Luther_King_Jr_Death

English 205 05/10/2004 Dr. Enright Argument Paper on who killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the most peaceful warrior of the twentieth century. He has made a dramatic impact on racial discrimination and a widely known black activist. He is also known for his powerful speeches such as: “I have a dream” and his letter from “Birmingham Jail” and of course, my favorite speech “Rediscovering Lost Valves”. There have been many controversial theories on who killed King. Considering the evidence, class studies and research I have done, it has convinced me that the man who pleaded guilty and convicted to serve a ninety-nine year sentence is completely responsible for the killing of Martin Luther King. On April 4th, 1968 Dr. King was attending a mediating sanitation worker’s strike in Memphis, Tennessee. He was staying in room 306 at the Lorraine Motel. As King walked out of room 306 shortly around 6 pm., King stood behind an iron balcony railing just in front of his room, and then it was reported that a high-powered rifle cracked the air. (Mayflower, p.429) The thirty-nine year old black activist leader also known as Ralph D. Abernathy was pronounced died at 7:05 pm. in the emergency room of St. Joseph Hospital. (Mayflower, p.429) After a two month man hunt, James E. Ray, who is known as a career criminal and an open racist was arrested at a Heathrow Airport after which he had robbed a London Bank. (infoplease) According to officials, Ray had rented a room directly across the street from where King was staying at the Lorraine Motel. Using binoculars and a large rifle with a sniper scope, Ray shot King through his motel bathroom window. (infoplease) Even though evidence such as: fingerprints on the rifle and binoculars, a record of Ray purchasing the rifle six days before the assignation, Ray wanted to escape the possibility of facing execution, so on March 1969 Ray pleaded guilty to the murder of Martin Luther King. As a result, the trail was waived and Ray was sentenced to ninety-nine years in prison. A federal investigation took place in 1977-78 by the House Select Committee on Assassinations. They concluded that although “there is likelihood” that Ray did not act alone in planning the assassination, he alone pulled the trigger. (infoplease) That brings me to my point of why I believe Ray was the one who initially killed King. There were many theories about the CIA, FBI, ARMY intelligence being involved and that Ray was set up by the government. Even in 1997 King son’s Dexter met with Ray in prison, shook his hand and professed that he believed in his innocence. General Janet Reno reopened a case investigation in August 1998. (infoplease) A Memphis juror awarded one hundred dollars to the King family as a symbolic wrongful death suit. (infoplease) The juror indicated that it was a conspiracy involving a bar owned named Lloyd Jowers and several “unknown” co-conspirators. (infoplease) However, in the end again, Ray is the one who shot the rifle and pleaded guilty to the crime. How can we just overlook the evidence which was found and the confession of Ray' As of April 23rd, 1998, Ray died in prison, yet still until his death he proclaimed his innocence. The only logic I can see behind this mystery is that Martin Luther King Jr. was a very important black leader and even if his death is unclear, James Earl Ray was convicted and died in prison for committing the assassination of Dr. King. Work Cited Bennett, Jr. Lerone. “Before the Mayflower: A history of black America. Published by the Penguin Group. Johnson Publishing Co., 1961. pages 428-429 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968 “American clergyman and civil rights leader” Trotter, Jr. Joe William. “The African American Experience”. Volume II From Reconstruction. Houghton Mifflin Co., 2001. pages 558-573