James Earl Ray

James Earl Ray (March 10, 1928 - April 23, 1998) was the convicted assassin of Martin Luther King Jr..

Ray pleaded guilty in Memphis, Tennessee on March 10, 1969 to assassinating King on April 4, 1968 at the Motel Lorraine also in Memphis. Ray was convicted, though he later recanted his confession.

Ray died on from complications related to kidney disease, caused by hepatitis C. The hepatitis C was probably contracted as a result of a blood transfusion given after a stabbing whilst at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary[?].