1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 137

   For today's look at A Madman Turns 40 we go on a manhunt. On this day in 1977 history, the man convicted of killing Martin Luther King Jr., James Earl Ray, escaped from a Tennessee prison along with 6 other convicts.
    

James Earl Ray, far right, being returned to prison, June 13, 1977.

    The escape put Ray at #351 on the FBI's Most Wanted List. However, Ray didn't stay on the list for long as on June 13, he was recaptured. 

    This was actually the second time Ray escaped prison. In 1967, Ray escaped in a bread truck from a Missouri prison. 

     Now here's where things get a little weird with me and the whole Martin Luther King assassination. I said earlier that the man convicted in killing King escaped from prison. I'm not 100% convinced that James Earl Ray did it. I think he was set-up like Lee Harvey Oswald was in the 1963 killing of President Kennedy. I think it's a conspiracy of some sort! Let me high-light some inconsistencies in the case below:

1. James Earl Ray was serving a 20 year sentence in 1967 when he first escaped prison. He only had 2 years left in a burglary charge when he escaped! Why would you do that? If you made it 18 years, 2 more would be a piece a cake?
2. Ray fled the US, going to Canada, Mexico, and eventually back to the US where he worked on segregationist presidential candidate George Wallace's campaign in North Hollywood. In that nearly 18-month span, he never got caught? Doing all those things- nobody caught on? Come on!!!
3. Ray claims that he was set-up by a man named Raul and was even contacted by government agents to assist with the assassination of Dr. King. But he claims he didn't pull the trigger. Some reports claim he never had gunpowder residue on him. I think Ray was a patsy like Oswald was with JFK.
4. James Earl Ray would soon recant his confession and later ballistics testing on the gun found with Ray were inconclusive in matching the bullets found in Dr. King's body. Sounds awfully familiar to JFK's autopsy reports not matching with the gun Oswald had in his possession.
5. Lastly, The family of King has even stated that after meeting with James Earl Ray in the late 90s and conducting their own research, they believe that Ray was set up. Yet, the US government has constantly refused to reopen the case. The King family is American Civil Rights royalty and yet the FBI refuses to reopen the murder of their father? That seems really odd to me.

Moments after Dr, King is shot, associates point to the direction in which the shooter fired, April 4, 1968.

    One last thing that seems off but might just be bad research is that several sources say that James Earl Ray escaped on June 10, 1977. Yet others put the date as June 11th. Again, this could be an oversight or just another small clue in an otherwise possible conspiracy.

     My wife is big into the murder of JFK. I really think she'd be very interested in the case of James Earl Ray and the death of Dr. Martin Luther King. The two murders have too many similarities and mystery surrounding them. I think the only reason the King assassination does get as much publicity is not because he was black but because there weren't as many witnesses to his death as there were when Kennedy was shot in Dallas.

Segment of the New York Times detailing Ray's escape.
Note the date of June 11th.

     Well, that's my look at 1977 for today. If you never hear from me again, you'll know that this Madman was on to something in the James Earl Ray case. Hopefully, I'll be posting again real soon.

      Until then...