Today in History: Martin Luther King Jr. Was Assassinated

On this day (April 4) in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. An American Gandhi, King remains the greatest proponent for Civil Rights that the U.S. has ever produced. He’s inspired hundreds of millions—and quite possibly billions—to recognize the humanity in each other and strive to judge one another by the content of their character. James Earl Ray was apprehended for the crime after fleeing first to Canada and then to Europe. He confessed to murdering King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison, but three days later he recanted his confession. The King family came to believe that Ray was not involved in the murder, but had been set up to take the blame. They pursued a civil trial against Lloyd Jowers, a restaurant owner, and in the trial convinced the jury that a conspiracy involving Jowers, the Mafia, and local, state and federal government agencies (but not James Earl Ray) was responsible for King’s murder. This prompted the federal government to reinvestigate the case, but they rejected the conspiracy theory.