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April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee. The deep south of America. Six hours and one minute. A man is standing on the balcony of his motel room when suddenly a shot rings out. One of the most outspoken civil rights activists in the world, a man who advocates for the interests of millions of black Americans, has been targeted by a killer. But why? April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee. 18:15. The leader of the US civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was rushed to the hospital after being injured. He is seriously injured. By then, King was a prominent figure, known around the world for his inspired leadership of the American civil rights movement. But in his vocal fight for the empowerment of America's black community,
especially in the Deep South, King also earned eternal hatred from a group of violent white extremists who despise him and everything he stands for. They see it as a threat to their way of life. They want to get him out of their way. But could they go so far as to try to kill him? April 3, 1968, Atlanta, morning. King flies to Memphis and checks into the Lorraine Motel. He came to support a group of black city He has supported them since February, when they went on strike, demanding better pay and working conditions.
Now King is determined to get them a good deal. That evening, King heads to the Masonic Temple, where he delivers a traditionally powerful, yet strangely prophetic, speech. Like anyone, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its own meaning. But I don't care about that right now. I just want to do God's will. And He allowed me to climb the mountain. And I looked around. And I saw the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know today that we, as a people, will enter the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I am not afraid of any person.
My eyes have seen the glory of the Lord's coming King's most famous speeches, but it sounds as if he had received a death threat. The son of a preacher, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. At the age of 24, King became a preacher himself and worked at a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. Two years later, Montgomery would become world-famous when, on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old black seamstress, refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. Under so-called Jim Crow laws, she is arrested, charged, and eventually fined $10 plus $4 in court costs. This case is causing outrage not only in the southern states, but also throughout the country's black community. And in Montgomery itself,
King decides that his people have been bullied enough. The Rosa Parks incident was the latest in a long line of similar humiliations and violence. He organizes what would later become known as the Montgomery bus boycott. It will last 13 months, during which black people will steadfastly refuse to use city buses. The issue is finally resolved on December 13, 1956, when the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the segregation policy in Alabama is illegal. Seven days later, King boards a bus, taking a seat in the front that had previously been reserved for whites only. By that time, he was already a national figure, a staunch advocate of nonviolence. He leads the country's rapidly growing civil rights movement
under the auspices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, better known as the SCLC. A passionate and powerful speaker, he works tirelessly and tirelessly for the benefit of the black community. Meanwhile, while King's authority steadily grows, one man is serving a prison sentence in Leavenworth, Kansas. James Earl Ray, a vicious criminal, spent most of his adult life in prisons after being discharged from the U.S. Army in December 1948 due to what was described as his inability and unfitness for military service. However, the army taught him something. She taught him how to use a rifle. Ray's life could hardly have been more different from King's. But one day in the future they will meet under dramatic circumstances. While
America's black community may consider Martin Luther King a hero, there are others who see him as a dangerous threat. In 1961, convinced that the civil rights movement was infiltrated by communists, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover ordered the wiretapping of King's phones and the monitoring of his every move. This monitoring will continue for the next 6 years. But nothing can stop King's growing influence and the enormous impact he has on American society. August 28, 1963, Washington, DC. King leads a march through the nation's capital, calling for jobs and freedom. President John F. Kennedy had previously opposed the march, believing it would negatively impact But eventually he is persuaded to let it
Kennedy's initial concerns, the march, which was attended by an estimated 250,000 people, passed off without incident. And that evening, King, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, delivers a speech that stuns the nation. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream. My four young children will one day live in a country where they will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by their personal qualities. I have a dream. Even President Kennedy, who would soon be assassinated, congratulated him. But there are those, including FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who, alarmed by
King's success, seek to discredit him. July 2, 1964, White House, Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King arrives to witness a historic event. The new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, signs the landmark one fell swoop, racial segregation is outlawed throughout the country is a challenge to each of us to work in our communities and states, in our homes and in our hearts, to eliminate the last vestiges of injustice in our beloved country. But many Southern conservatives consider this law and King's role in it a real betrayal. They bitterly resent the liberation of black Americans, just as their ancestors resented the final abolition of slavery a hundred years ago. Slaves played a vital role in the country's economy from the mid-18th century, especially in the South,
where they worked on cotton and tobacco plantations. But in 1865, the American Civil War put an end to this when the North, led by President Abraham Lincoln, defeated the forces of the South and abolished slavery. Black Americans continued to work in the fields and elsewhere, but now as free men and women. Outraged by this turn of events, a group of white supremacists soon brutal suppression of black Americans. By the early 1960s, the Klan had all but disappeared, but the latent discontent of the Suprematists remained undiminished. Now they were faced with the unpleasant fact that the Civil Rights Act made black Americans equal to them before the law. And the man they blame above all others is Martin Luther King. Now he faces
increasing hostility and violence everywhere. His life is constantly under threat as tensions rise. December 10, 1964, Norway. However, King's significant achievements are recognized elsewhere when he receives the Nobel Peace Prize. April 23, 1967, Missouri. Jefferson City State Prison after serving 7 years of a 20- year sentence for robbing a grocery store. This is James Earl Ray. And this time he is determined not to fall into the hands of the police. First he heads to Chicago and then to Montreal, Canada. A few months later, he returns to the US, crossing the length and breadth of the country before ending up in Memphis. April 4, 1968, Memphis. James Earl Ray, calling himself John Willard, checks into a boarding house on South Main Street.
Lorain Motel, Memphis, evening. Martin Luther King stands alone on the balcony of his room while his associates gather inside. He doesn't even realize that he is being watched by a person who intends to kill him. Suddenly, a shot rings out and King falls. Reverend Samuel Kyles recalls this tragic event. When I looked back, I could only see the lower part of Dr. King's body because he had been thrown back, beyond that point. And when I looked, all I saw was his leg. His foot was on the railing. He was lying in this position. I clearly remember looking at him. I don't think I touched him. I just looked at him. And I remember it was like an instant, complete overview of the situation. And I remember that the tie, the knot of his tie was torn, just
cut. And it lay open. And there was a terrible wound, where the bullet had entered. King arrives at St. Joseph's Hospital 15 minutes after being shot. that King was shot dead at the Lorraine. Meanwhile, the police rush to the Lorain Motel. A team of medics takes over working on King, but they can do nothing to save him. He is too badly wounded and dies less than an hour later. Now the police had swarmed the entire Lorraine Motel and the surrounding area. It becomes clear that King was shot with a rifle from a boarding house, from the windows of which the motel is visible.
The killer was shooting from the bathroom. The window was stuck open, and footprints were left in the bathroom. One woman reports seeing a man running out of the boarding house shortly after 6 p.m. He throws a bulky package in the doorway of a nearby store, Mustang, and speeds away. The package contains several items, including two cans of beer, binoculars, ammunition, various tools including a hammer, a portable radio, and a Remington 760 Game Master rifle equipped with a telescopic sight. The rifle was traced to a gun store in Birmingham, Alabama, where it was said to have been purchased 6 days earlier by a man who identified himself as Harvey Lowmeyer. However, fingerprints taken from the weapon
belonged to 40-year-old prison escapee James Earl Ray. He is now the most wanted criminal in America. April 4, 1968, Memphis. When news of King's death is announced, The violence soon spreads to 40 cities in the US. Looters are taking advantage of the deteriorating situation. As night falls, 4,000 National Guard troops are deployed to Memphis to help the overburdened police, who have already lost control. To prevent further unrest, a dusk- to- dawn curfew is imposed. April 5, Washington, DC. President Lyndon B. Johnson calls for calm. I ask every citizen to reject the blind violence that took Dr. King's life. Johnson understands perfectly well: in order for the country not to tear itself apart, the murderer must be caught, and as
quickly as possible. Now, as police launch one of the largest manhunts in U.S. history, a $100,000 reward has been offered for the capture and conviction of King's killer. Meanwhile, Ray drives full speed to Atlanta, where he abandons his car. From there he heads to Toronto, Canada. April 8, 1968, Memphis. People stunned by grief pass by King's open coffin. Under tight security, King's body is flown to his hometown of Atlanta. April 9, 1968, Atlanta. At King's funeral, some in attendance bitterly recalled the civil rights leader's pragmatic views I am realistic enough to know that I can end my life by a violent death. I live under the threat of death every day. And I have no illusions about that. There are enough sick people in the world that I
could face violent death just like other leaders. But I don't feel afraid because of it. You cannot act if you constantly, day after day, live in fear of death. May 7, 1968, Heathrow Airport, London. James Earl Ray arrives from Toronto. Later that day, he flies to Lisbon, Portugal. After 10 days, Ray returns to London and rents a room in Earl's Court. June 8, 1968, Heathrow Airport, London. Ray is on the road again. But during check-in for a flight to Belgium, he is recognized by an alert employee.
He is arrested and charged with using a false passport and possessing a firearm without a permit. After a lengthy trial, Ray is extradited to the United States and held in a special cell awaiting trial. March 10, 1969, Memphis. Accompanied by unprecedented security measures, Ray finally appears in court, where he is charged with the murder of Martin Luther King. To avoid a possible death penalty, Ray confesses to King's murder, says no one else was involved, and receives 99 years in prison. He is defended by legendary Texas attorney Percy Foreman. I did not persuade James Earl Ray to plead guilty.
James Earl Ray
