What was James Earl Ray's prison sentence after pleading guilty to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.?

James Earl Ray (March 10, 1928 – April 23, 1998) was a convicted murderer who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Ray was convicted 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 confessed to the crime on March 10, 1969, his 41st birthday, and after pleading guilty he was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Sentenced to de facto life imprisonment, he later recanted his confession and tried unsuccessfully to gain access to a retrial. In 1998, prior to his death, Ray was transferred to the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville, a maximum security prison with hospital facilities. Ray died at age 70 on April 23, 1998, at the Columbia Nashville Memorial Hospital from complications related to kidney disease and liver failure caused by hepatitis C.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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37 Comments

Yogi Arya

Foolish laws . Murder is murder is a murder. Retribution : summary trial & death. Why would my ( tax payer) money be used for such scum's living ( though in prison).

Mark Ann Dubaz

Should have just fried him.

james parrillo

Lupe Hernandez, Maybe, she meant for Dr. King, Jr.? The pronoun is unclear, I think. Thank you, Christine, James's wife

Richard D. Boyle

From a purely pragmatic legal standpoint, the ability to seek or to withhold the death penalty is a very valuable bargaining tool for any prosecutor who has it in his toolbox. Many do not and wish they did. Only 28 states in the US have the death penalty available to them and they, collectively, account for approximately 1500 executions in a typical recent year.

L Lh Adams

I remember passing through Memphis two days before and coming back through two days after. Memphis looked like a war zone.

larrywagner

I for one don't believe these questions should mention murdering pigs. I don't want to spend my tax dollars on housing these scumbags. If nobody has the sack to do it, I'll step up. just my believe. Hate me if you want to.

larrywagner

tesla alset, Good reply Tesla. The system has many loop holes.

kayefloyd

I remember when this happened I was only 11 years old I had no clue what racism meant All I remember was a remarkable man was murdered I really never knew the reason why I remember a lot of people crying black and white asking why still don't know the REAL REASON why he was assassinated two months before Robert Kennedy was assassinated I remember that very well to

goosenbuster

Death sentence is the only suitable punishment. I'm a nurse and do not believe in much but preserving life but he doesn't deserve our tax dollars and he will fry in hell. He murdered a remarkable man. Imagine what he could have continued to do for all of us.