Today marks the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. He was 39 years old. He was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary was charged with the crime. Ray entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in the Tennessee state penitentiary.
King had traveled to Memphis in support of striking African American sanitation workers who were protesting unequal wages and working conditions.