Skip to main content

Wanted poster for James Earl Ray

View
@ Memphis Public Library. Memphis and Shelby County Room

United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation

Description

Flyer issued by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation with information about James Earl Ray issued after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. The "wanted poster" displays three black-and-white photographs of Ray, along with a physical description and notes on his criminal record. The poster is signed by J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI, and includes Hoover's contact information. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee while staying at the Lorraine Motel; King and fellow civil rights workers were in Memphis supporting striking sanitation workers. James Earl Ray, who previously was convicted of mail fraud, armed robbery and had escaped from jail in 1967, was captured in London, United Kingdom on June 8, 1968. He confessed to the assassination on March 10, 1969 and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray later recanted his confession, and members of the King family supported Ray's efforts for a retrial.The University of Tennessee Libraries (Knoxville, Tennessee) is the digital publisher.The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the aggregation and enhancement of partner metadata.
Type:
Text
Rights:
Please contact holding institution for information regarding use and copyright status.
View Original At:

Record Contributed By

Memphis Public Library. Memphis and Shelby County Room

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia