MURDER IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE
Memphis, Tennessee (JFK+50) On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed as he stood on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel* here in Memphis. A single bullet struck the civil rights leader at 6:01 p.m. local time. The bullet entered the jaw severing Dr. King's spinal cord.
After being rushed to a local hospital, Martin Luther King, Jr. was pronounced dead. MLK Jr. was 39 years old. After the shooting, police found a 30-06 Remington hunting rifle on the sidewalk about a block from the motel. The rifle was traced to James Earl Ray** who was caught about two months later in London, U.K.
Dr. King, Dr. Ralph Abernathy and several other King associates had been preparing to go to dinner at the home of Reverend Billy Kyles*** of Memphis.
Dr. Kyles later recalled...
"Martin was leaning over the railing, talking to Jesse (Jackson). The last person...he spoke to was Jesse. In the middle of their conversation I said, 'Hey, guys, come on, let's go.' And he was still talking to Jesse, leaning over. I got about five steps and heard this noise...by the time I looked back, Martin had...fallen."
*Lorraine Motel, located at 450 Mulberry Street, opened in 1945. Its guests included Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin, Ethel Waters & Otis Redding.
**James Earl Ray (1928-1998) was born in Alton, Illinois. He served in the US Army in Germany at the end of WWII. JER was convicted of the murder of Dr. King on March 10, 1969 and sentenced to a 99 year prison term.
***Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles (1934-2016) was born in Shelby, Mississippi in 1934. He became pastor of Monumental Baptist Church in 1959. SK was a founding member of the National Board of People United to Save Humanity & worked on Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns.
SOURCE
"True Crime: Assassination," Time Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1994.
Memphis, Tennessee (JFK+50) On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed as he stood on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel* here in Memphis. A single bullet struck the civil rights leader at 6:01 p.m. local time. The bullet entered the jaw severing Dr. King's spinal cord.
After being rushed to a local hospital, Martin Luther King, Jr. was pronounced dead. MLK Jr. was 39 years old. After the shooting, police found a 30-06 Remington hunting rifle on the sidewalk about a block from the motel. The rifle was traced to James Earl Ray** who was caught about two months later in London, U.K.
Dr. King, Dr. Ralph Abernathy and several other King associates had been preparing to go to dinner at the home of Reverend Billy Kyles*** of Memphis.
Dr. Kyles later recalled...
"Martin was leaning over the railing, talking to Jesse (Jackson). The last person...he spoke to was Jesse. In the middle of their conversation I said, 'Hey, guys, come on, let's go.' And he was still talking to Jesse, leaning over. I got about five steps and heard this noise...by the time I looked back, Martin had...fallen."
*Lorraine Motel, located at 450 Mulberry Street, opened in 1945. Its guests included Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin, Ethel Waters & Otis Redding.
**James Earl Ray (1928-1998) was born in Alton, Illinois. He served in the US Army in Germany at the end of WWII. JER was convicted of the murder of Dr. King on March 10, 1969 and sentenced to a 99 year prison term.
***Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles (1934-2016) was born in Shelby, Mississippi in 1934. He became pastor of Monumental Baptist Church in 1959. SK was a founding member of the National Board of People United to Save Humanity & worked on Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns.
SOURCE
"True Crime: Assassination," Time Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1994.
The Lorraine Motel
Memphis, Tennessee
Photo by John White (2008)
John White at the Lorraine Motel
Memphis, Tennessee
Photo by Dr. Chad Smith (2008)
