Washington Post Article 4-2-18

The King Family Still Wonders: Who killed him?

Fifty years on, the children of the civil rights icon do not believe James Earl Ray was responsible


(Headline in the Washington Post, Page One, 2 Apr 2018)

It pains my heart that James Earl Ray had to spend his life in prison paying for things he didn’t do.”Bernice King

There is abundant evidence of a major, high-level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband.”
Coretta Scott King

There was a major conspiracy to remove Doctor King from the American scene.” Rep. John Lewis

It is astounding to see these quotes on the front page of WaPo.   


             


 An earlier, internet version of the article was published on March 30 under the title "Who killed Martin Luther King Jr.? His family believes James Earl Ray was framed."
.  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/03/30/who-killed-martin-luther-king-jr-his-family-believes-james-earl-ray-was-framed/?utm_term=.56a07d4f8254

The article has a few problems.  For instance at one point it claims that "Because Ray suddenly pleaded guilty in 1969, less than a year after the shooting, there was no trial."  While technically true, that is highly misleading because it leave out the fact that Mr. Ray's plea was actually an "Alford Plea" of "legally guilty" that was not a confession.  It's the kind of plea a guy makes when he's facing the death penalty and lacks the resources to put on a defense.

And then look at this howler:  "[A]fter 50 years, the King assassination seems destined to remain mired in controversy, the subject of infinite debate over whether Ray was a lone gunman inspired by racism, a hired assassin aided by secret government forces, or simply a patsy manipulated to kill a civil rights hero."  Huh?  What about option four, which is what the King family believes -- he was a patsy manipulated to give the appearance that he had stalked and killed a civil rights hero?


 

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