Arrest of James Earl Ray8 June 1968
Arrested for the murder of Martin Luther King by Scotland Yard at London airport
World History Database · Biography facts · Archive · United States of America · Ray · James Earl Ray
Historical person
James Earl Ray Biography
Historical biography and chronological timeline for James Earl Ray, based on 6 World History Database records associated with United States of America.
6 records1968–19693 events1 places
Chronological biography
1968
Assassination of Martin Luther King8 June 1968
Two months after King's death, escaped convict James Earl Ray is captured at London Heathrow Airport while trying to leave the United Kingdom on a false Canadian passport in the name of Ramon George Sneyd. Arrested for the murder of Martin Luther King by Scotland Yard at London airport
1969
Assassination of Martin Luther KingMarch 1969
On the advice of his attorney Percy Foreman, Ray makes guilty plea to avoid a trial conviction and thus the possibility of receiving the death penalty, Ray is sentenced to a 99-year prison term
TrialMarch 1969
On the advice of his attorney Percy Foreman, Ray makes guilty plea to avoid a trial conviction and thus the possibility of receiving the death penalty, Ray is sentenced to a 99-year prison term
Arrest of James Earl Ray10 March 1969
Ray is extradited to Tennessee and charged with King's murder, confessing to the assassination, though he recants this confession three days later
Assassination of Martin Luther King10 March 1969
Ray is extradited to Tennessee and charged with King's murder, confessing to the assassination, though he recants this confession three days later
Record provenance
This biography is assembled from World History Database records filtered by country and personal-name fields. Exact duplicate display records are removed. The database is an index rather than a complete narrative biography; formal research should verify entries against relevant primary or specialist sources.