JAMES EARL RAY BY: JOSH HAHN

BACKGROUND JAMES EARL RAY Born in Alton, Illinois March 10 th 1928 In 1935 his family moved from Alton to Ewing, Missouri because his father was being charged with forgery. His sister Marjorie died in a fire because she was playing with matches in 1937 At age 16 he moved back to Alton where he moved in with his grandmother and worked in a dye room at the international shoe tannery. In 1945 he enlisted in the army but when stationed in West Berlin he was charged with drunkenness and resisting arrest. In 1949 he moved to Los Angeles where he was arrested for robbing a café. In 1959 Ray robbed two grocery stores in St. Louis and also one in his hometown of Alton. In 1967 he escaped from jail and tried to flee to Canada or Mexico. On April 4 th 1968 Ray assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. from his hotel room. Index Forgery: producing a copy of a document, signature, banknote, or work of art. Drukenness: losing control of one's faculties or behavior Resisting Arrest: threatening a police officer with physical violence Robbery: to steal something from someone or something. Assassination: murder (an important person) in a surprise attack for political or religious reasons

BACKGROUND CONTINUED On July 19 th 1968 the FBI captured Ray in London and brought him back to the United States. Ray was found guilty to the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray tried to convince the public that he did not act alone when he killed Martin Luther King Jr. and a man named Raoul from Canada helped him. Ray tried to escape jail again but was caught and his prison time extended another year. The King family supported Ray’s innocence because they thought he did not murder their father. Ray died in prison in Nashville, Tennessee on April 23 rd, Index Murder: unlawful killing that is both willful and premeditated, meaning that it was committed after planning or "lying in wait" for the victim.

LIST OF CRIMES CRIMEDATEVICTIM(s)PUNISHMENT Drunkenness1945NoneDischarged from the army. Café Robbery in California1949NoneSent to jail for 90 days. Two Grocery Store Robberies (Alton and St. Louis) 1959None20 Years in Prison Escapes Prison1967None 1 st Degree MurderApril 4 th 1968Martin Luther King99 Years In Jail

EVIDENCE AGAINST JAMES EARL RAY 1.He stayed at the hotel across the street from Martin Luther King 2.The bullet from the crime scene matched the gun that Ray owned. 3.He committed several other crimes in the past. 4.He fled the area after Martin Luther King’s death. 5.Ray pleaded guilty to the crime in court. Ray’s sentence was 99 years in prison. He severed the majority of his sentence in jail in Nashville, Tennessee. Ray died on April 23 rd WHAT WAS HIS SENTENCE AND WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM? QUOTE FROM JAMES EARL RAY “Well, first I didn’t kill Dr. King.” –James Earl Ray Nickname: NONE

CULTURAL REFERENCES Books Hellhound On His Trail (Non-Fiction) (Hampton Sides) Klandestine (Non-Fiction) (Pate McMichael) Killing The Dream (Non-Fiction) (Gerald Posner) A Memoir of Injustice (Non Fiction) (Jerry Ray and Tamara Carter) Movies/ Documentaries Interview in Jail in 1977 (Interview) ( Vdhnno8) Vdhnno8 The Trial of James Earl Ray 1993 (TV Movie) Who Killed Martin Luther King? (Documentary) No Music Connection To Oswald

BEHAVIORAL THEORY The behavioral theory best explains James Oswald’s criminal behavior because he has had a family history of committing deviant acts throughout his life. For example, in 1935 James’s father was charged with forgery and their family was forced to move to Missouri to flee the charges. James Earl Ray repeated his father’s actions by receiving a charge in the army for drunkenness and resisting arrest. Also, in 1937 his sister died at a young age because she was playing with her father’s cigar lighters. This traumatic event caused Oswald to become more violent because he was emotionally hurt from his sister’s death. Therefore, James Oswald’s criminal behavior was caused by his family’s history of committing deviant acts. The behavioral theory also identifies James Oswald’s criminal activity because it gave him a stimulus that heightened his arousal to commit more crimes. For instance, James Earl Oswald was charged several times for robbing local retail stores in Los Angles and St. Louis. Oswald committed several robberies because he enjoyed to adrenaline pumping feeling he received when committing the crimes. Oswald did not consider the results and consequences of his actions because the adrenaline from those acts overshadowed his judgement. Additionally, James Earl Ray’s most famous crime was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. After Oswald killed Kennedy he said he felt no remorse and guilt for what he had done. This shows how much his adrenaline rush overshadowed his ability to think rationally before committing a serious life changing crime. Therefore, James Oswald’s criminal behavior was caused by his stimulus from arousal to commit more deviant crimes.