Customer Reviews

Who Killed Martin Luther King Jr.?: Second Edition

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James Earl Ray (1928-1998) was of course the man convicted for the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; he ultimately died in prison of Hepatitis C. The King family ultimately concluded that he was NOT responsible for the murder of Dr. King. Restaurant owner Loyd Jowers (1926-2000) later lost a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the King family, for his part in the conspiracy against Dr. King.

The second edition (1997) of this book contains a Foreward by Jesse Jackson ("I have never accepted the 'one crazy man' theory of political assassinations. I certainly do not accept such a theory with regard to James Earl Ray...") and a Preface by Mark Lane ("I am convinced that a federal grand jury presented with relevant evidence by an honest special prosecutor would conclude that Hoover and other FBI officials were responsible for the assassination of Dr. King"), author of books such as Plausible Denial: Was the CIA Involved in the Assassination of JFK? and Rush to Judgement.

Here are some quotations from the book:

"The FBI said that during examinations of the discarded items, found on the sidewalk after the shooting, agents at FBI headquarters found several fingerprints, including one on the rifle that matched mine. The FBI decided not to conduct a ballistics test on the rifle claiming that the fatal bullet was misshapen." (Pg. 100)

"(William Branford) Huie told Jerry (Ray's brother) that he'd give us $12,000 up front and amend his contract with me and Hanes to get me more money, if I'd stay off the witness stand." (Pg. 117)

"He never asked me either question. I would have answered that I did not shoot Dr. King but that I was unwittingly part of a conspiracy since I was hired to purchase a weapon of the type allegedly used in the killing and did bring it to Memphis." (Pg. 120)

"I signed the plea document but told Foreman I didn't intend to plead guilty. He went to work trying to persuade me to do so. He said I should cop a plea because the media had convicted me already." (Pg. 127)

"I was succumbing to the grind---the cage, the glare, the stale air, Foreman's incessant demands that I plead guilty. In late February, I tentatively agreed to enter a plea of guilty. Although I continued to press Foreman to take the case to trial, on reflection I suspect that it was almost a feeling of relief to enter the plea and regroup." (Pg. 131)

"McMillan said I'd often watched Dr. King on television in my cell... (and) each time I'd fly into a rage... But there's one problem: it never happened. In 1963-1964, there were no television sets in the cells or cellblocks. Prisoners didn't have such access to TV until 1970, three years after my escape." (Pg. 169)

"The FBI's performance after the King shooting is also mysterious. There has been no explanation for the 30-minute delay in getting the bureau into the King case---which might have closed exits from Memphis to the killer or killers. There has also been no explanation of Hoover's crack crimesolving organization taking 14 days to get my name from the evidence collected at Bessie's flophouse. I left behind belongings including my radio from prison days. The radio was labeled with my ID number--00416--and should tipped the bureau to my escapee status immediately..." (Pg. 249)

"What are the contents of the FBI and Select Committee files ordered sealed for 50 years? It has been 25 years since Dr. King's death---why should 25 more years pass before the American public can view evidence collected in this case?" (Pg. 267)

Excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone wanting more facts from the other side.

I bought this book because I had just finished "Hellhound on his trail..." and was intrigued by how many unanswered questions that book revealed- like, where was Ray getting the money to boot around the country and beyond (Mexico, Canada), and what was his motivation to kill King. Ray's book raises yet more questions, but mostly (IMHO) about Ray's credibility.

One of the most striking things is that Ray didn't finish high school, and was an admittedly poor student, yet the book is amazingly well written. OK, so the hand of an unnamed editor is clearly at work, but it's hard to imagine that the necessarily extensive editing wouldn't have imparted some spin.

Another striking peculiarity is that the book constantly elaborates on trivial details of his life, with meticulous attention to dates. This was a guy who was constantly moving around (when he wasn't incarcerated) mainly to evade the law or to pursue some two-bit criminal scam. It's hard to imagine a career petty criminal maintaining a records system that enabled him to remember a plethora of exact dates, or e.g. the names and addresses of flophouses he crashed in for a few nights, 25 years after the fact. According to the book, he had to abandon his few material possessions many times to stay a step ahead of the cops- yet somehow he kept such records? Maybe he was a savant. Yeah, that must be it.

And then there's "Raoul". This is the character Ray introduces to bolster his alibi, that he was set up by a mysterious man who recruited Ray as an operative for a drug and gun-running operation, and doled out thousands of dollars to Ray while shuffling him between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico on errands. It is hard to conceive that a well-funded gun-runner would buy hunting rifles one at a time from sporting goods stores, as Ray asserts the murder weapon was purchased in Memphis.

Another striking thing- despite much evidence from other sources that Ray was a virulent racist, he is very careful not to expose this in the book. He politely refers to "black people". He (or somebody) induced Jesse Jackson to write a foreward to the book, so maybe his bigotry has been overstated. Or maybe Jackson had ulterior motives...

Ray does succeed in raising questions about his prosecution, which featured a number of irregularities. But unless you're a hardcore conspiracy theorist,it's hard to conclude that Ray was not the shooter. There may have been others involved- that seems likely, in fact- but Ray's innocence is not supported by a critical read of this book.

Raoul? Give me a break.

Not to say I didn't enjoy reading the book. Just as I enjoy reading many stories about seedy pathetic slimeballs who manage to do something extraordinary (albeit reprehensible). Anecdotes about attempted theft of wallets from occupied cathouse Johns, and gunpoint robberies of pimps are fascinating and, as noted previously, very well penned- by somebody, if not Ray.

makes u think about the whole thing. i haven't finished it yet but it has gotten my attention. i am drawn in. very well written informative and shows a different side to the story.