The Assassination of Martin Luther King

King was booked in room 306 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, owned by black businessman Walter Bailey (and named for his wife). King's close friend and colleague, Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, who was present at the assassination, told the House Select Committee on Assassinations that King and his entourage stayed in room 306 at the Lorraine Motel so often that it was known as the "King-Abernathy Suite."

According to biographer Taylor Branch, King's last words were to musician Ben Branch, who was scheduled to perform that night at an event King was going to attend: "Ben, make sure you play 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord' in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty."

At 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968, while he was standing on the motel's second floor balcony, King was struck by a single bullet fired from a rifle. The bullet travelled through his right cheek, smashing his jaw and then going down his spinal cord before lodging in his shoulder.

King was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where doctors opened his chest and performed manual heart massage. He was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. According to biographer Taylor Branch, King's autopsy revealed that though he was only 39 years old, he had the heart of a 60 year old man.

Two months after King's death, escaped convict James Earl Ray was captured at London Heathrow Airport while trying to leave the United Kingdom for Angola, Rhodesia, or South Africa on a false Canadian passport in the name of Ramon George Sneyd. Ray was quickly extradited to Tennessee and charged with King's murder, confessing to the assassination on March 10, 1969 (although he recanted this confession three days later).

On the advice of his attorney Percy Foreman, Ray took a guilty plea to avoid a trial conviction and thus the possibility of receiving the death penalty. Ray was sentenced to a 99-year prison term.

Ray fired Foreman as his attorney (from then on derisively calling him "Percy Fourflusher") claiming that a man he met in Montreal, Canada with the alias "Raoul" was involved, as was his brother Johnny, but not himself, further asserting that although he did not "personally shoot King," he may have been "partially responsible without knowing it," hinting at a conspiracy. He spent the remainder of his life attempting (unsuccessfully) to withdraw his guilty plea and secure the trial he never had.

Ray and seven other convicts escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tennessee on June 10, 1977. They were recaptured on June 13, three days later, and returned to prison. One more year was added to his previous sentence to total 100 years. Shortly after, Ray testified that he did not shoot King to the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Assassination
• Martin
• Luther
• King
• MLK
• Lorraine
• Motel
• Memphis
• April
• 1968
• James
• Earl
• Ray
• Assassin

[EdNortonisMineLol]

Rest in peace, MLK. I'm neither black, nor American, nor Christian, but Martin Luther King is my hero. He was prepared to be arrested and imprisoned for what was right, and eventually payed with his life for his courage. He was the greatest speaker I have ever heard and a complete inspiration. King may have died physically, but his memory lives on in the hearts and minds of his family, friends and admirers.

[gforce1710]

@repulic5

No.

[REALMADRIDGUY123]

Rip

[freedom4609]

Everybody has there day,even you, who ever the fuck you are. 12345

[betoche12345]

Damn, Its sad that they killed a nigger :(

[riflepoet]

"pump action high power rifle" search in goggle returns all nonsense...

[Gamedude2u]

To the greatest Civil Right Activist, I'm thankful for you. Because of you Men/Women are Judged by there character and not there skin color. Because of you all people in the United States are EQUAL, and because of you I am thankful, may you R.I.P .

‎(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) 39 yrs old | 15 January 2012 he would be 83

[MrBlackman504]

@Colaboiz THATS HOW I FEEL

[nova12358]

i may not be colourd but i do hate slavery and think all ppl should have rights and evry 1 in my famaly is racist and iam the only 1 that is not

[4life2cool]

RIP Mr. Martin I am black and I love you you are my hero :)

[TVTCollider]

@Colaboiz Justin Bieber didn't even exist back then, dumbass. James Earl had never even heard of Justin Bieber either.

[SuperTheskaterboy]

I am not black. But this man is truly my hero!