At a glance, James Earl Ray ticks all the boxes of someone who killed a leader of the Civil Rights Movement. He frequently committed petty crimes, supported George Wallace, and wanted to move to Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe) to join its strong white community.
While doubts surrounding his ultimate crime persist, Kennedys and King will look at Ray’s life before and after he was locked away for good.
The Fugitive, Twice Over
You may know about Ray’s 1977 escape attempt, but were you aware that he’d tried the same thing a little more than a decade ago? At the time of Martin Luther King’s assassination, Ray had been an escaped convict for almost a year.
On April 23, 1967, Ray hopped aboard a bread truck, escaped Missouri State Penitentiary, and fled to Canada. He would’ve probably stayed that way had he not been arrested for killing Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968.
His Criminal Record
Shortly before his arrest, James Earl Ray made it on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. The wanted poster included his latest picture, the relevant crime, and a two-liner with his criminal record, which included:
- Burglary
- Armed robbery
- Counterfeit money orders.
- Driving an automobile without the owner’s permission.
Whether or not you believed he killed a person, his mile-long rap sheet remains an undisputed fact.
A Marriage (and Divorce) in Prison
On October 13, 1978, long after his arrest, James Earl Ray tied the knot with an artist Anna Sailing Sandhu. They shared an age gap of almost 20 years, but sparks must’ve flown after they met for a TV interview where Sandhu was invited to draw Ray.
After spending 12 anniversaries exchanging letters, Ray officiated a marriage that started with separation by filing for divorce due to irreconcilable differences.
Gaining the King Family’s Support
Where the MLK assassination is concerning, there are three groups of people: the first believe Ray did it, the second thinks he didn’t act alone, and the third is convinced he’s innocent.
The second group had enough support to prompt the Senate Congressional Hearing Committee to open an investigation into possible government collusion. They found the FBI’s campaign against MLK to be an indirect contributor, didn’t find any evidence of direct involvement, and concluded that Ray was the killer.
The third group doesn’t have many supporters, but it includes King’s family, particularly his son, Dexter Scott King, who even went to Ray’s death bed to tell him that his family believed he was innocent.
Learn more facts about James Earl Ray on our platform, which is dedicated to unearthing the truth behind the unresolved political assassinations of the 1960s. Please support our campaign for full transparency and accountability for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., among other activists and political figures murdered during this tumultuous decade.
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