NASHVILLE, Tenn., 1pril 23 -- James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Martin Luther King, is dead. He died today after he was removed from life support.
He had been suffering from liver disease for several months. He was serving a 99 year sentence for the slaying of the civil rights leader in 1968. Jerry Ray, Ray's brother, said his older brother had asked not to be resuscitated or hooked to life-support systems. James Earl Ray was reportedly unresponsive and in addition to his liver, his kidneys were said to be failing before his death. The 70-year-old Ray was admitted to Nashville Memorial Hospital Monday for the 16th time since December. He had been seeking a liver transplant without success. Although Ray initially confessed to the slaying of King in 1968, he later recanted and said he was framed. King's family supported Ray's request for a new trial, and said it could resolve suspicions whether King was the victim of a conspiracy rather than a single gunman. ---
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