Assassination Mechanics: “If I did it”: MLK
The following is done with all due respect to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
In this installment of “Assassination Mechanics: “If I did it”, we will take at the assassination of MLK.
(picture of the MLK memorial in Washington D.C., USA). As usual links will be provided throughout to aid readers in further research.
The Facts: “Shortly after 6 p.m. on Tuesday April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and mortally wounded as he stood on the second-floor balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. He was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. at St. Joseph Hospital.
“James Earl Ray, a 40-year-old convicted armed robber who had escaped from the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, Mo., on April 23, 1967, pleaded guilty on March 10, 1969, in Shelby County (Tenn.) Criminal Court to the first degree murder of Dr. King. He was sentenced to 99 years at the State penitentiary.”- quote from the archives and findings
Why in the hell would an escaped convict decide to assassinate one of the most high profile public figures in America of the time? “Oh jeez I’m on the lamb and want to draw the world’s attention to myself” said almost no escaped convict ever.
Nor do escaped convicts tend to deliberately drop evidence right beside a crime scene! Allegedly Ray left binoculars, ammo, a rifle and that day’s paper beside the place wrapped in a fucking blanket lol. James Earl Ray tried to flee to the Rhodesia via Canada and then the U.K. but got caught in the U.K.(June 8th, 1968) after coming back from Portugal? People trying to get the fuck out of the country don’t bring more heat on to themselves by putting in a high profile murder along the way!
Dr.Martin Luther King Jr was a threat to the power establishment of the time and the center of a huge polarity of feelings and large changes in America at the time.
William F. Pepper is one of the foremost researchers and writers delving into the conspiracy to kill Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pepper has done tons of research, worked for the King family as a lawyer and written quite a few books and has also represented James Earl Ray (the alleged MLK assassin).
James “Jim” DiEugenio has extensively covered the MLK, RFK and JFK Assassinations and subsequent cover ups.
Judge Joe Brown was also the last judge to review evidence of the case. The Corbett Report also does a good summary.
OK, here we go:
James Earl Ray who was the alleged assassin. He plead guilty to avoid the death penalty and a trial. Irony is if he did do a trial alot of the evidence might have exonerated him. Many researchers, lawyers, forensics, police and King’s own family believe James Earl Ray to be not guilty of the murder. Let’s just say there is more than enough doubt on the official narrative.
At left: 1991, Ben Holley, property and evidence room supervisor in Memphis PD (Michael McMullan/Memphis Commercial-Appeal)
other crime scene photos can be found here
The rifle is a Remington 760 Gamemaster pump action and chambered in 30-06, serial number 461476 and equipped with a Redfield 2×7 scope (serial number A17350) using a Weaver sight mount.
Problems: FBI Ballistic expert’s report by Robert Frazier found evidence was inconclusive. So evidence for conviction rested on that 3 prints on the rifle and scope were linked to J.E.Ray. The shot from the “flop house” was about 200-207 feet or 67 ish yds or 63m. A fairly easy shot for a regular shooter or hunter. Just how much time did Ray have for marksmanship being in prison? He was in the army for a couple of years post WW2, but from all accounts was a fuck up and a drunk. Not sure how much shooting he would have done.
He was a bank robber and armed robber in his past but never convicted of murder or shooting anyone. The bullet reportedly used (remember those inconclusive tests!) was a Remington-Peters, soft-point, metal-jacketed bullet in 30-06. SOFT POINT METAL JACKETED. That might not mean a lot to most. Problem is that style of bullet is for controlled expansion and not usually prone to fragmentation on soft targets. The bullet that hit MLK fragmented. Also the rifling twist didn’t match up so that’s why we get the “inconclusive“, nobody wants to say this shit doesn’t match up. Maybe some armchair ballistics experts out there will say that it does match. And I invite those comments. Officially they don’t.
The pictures show distance from hotel balcony to flop house room where alleged shot by James Earl Ray took out MLK. The info-graph picture show cross section of type of bullet described as being used by Ray. 
I don’t think I’m the only one who has some problems and questions about the forensics involved.
Here is a good thread where some interesting points are raised.
Some other pics of evidence:
Evidence photos show a fragmentary bullet of a full metal jacketed round (vs a controlled expansion with belting) that was never tested coming from the Remington 760 Gamemaster 30-06.
Of interest from Judge Joe Brown’s assertions the bullet (taken from MLK’s body) does resemble a 7.62 x51mm NATO full jacketed round. This round was adopted in 1957 by the U.S. military (and most NATO partners) replacing the 30-06 in its previous role.
unless otherwise noted photo credits: Federal Bureau of Investigation and Shelby County Clerk’s Martin Luther King Assassination Investigation database.
OK so could the shot be taken from the spot James Earl Ray allegedly used? Take a look at some pictures:
The possibility is certainly there. We have pictures of the crowd pointing in the general direction of the back of Jim’s Grill.
The distance involved 207 to 200 feet depending on the source is not a hard shot for an experienced shooter.
So again that part would come down to just how experienced or practiced was Ray?
My opinion is if he was a fuck up and a jail bird, he would not have had time to develop the requisite skills to use
an unfamiliar rifle with confidence or skill.
Memphis City workers the day after the murder cut down the trees behind Jim’s Grill, why would they do that? Improve the view, post assassination? Who put in the work order? Especially considering city workers were on strike that week.
So now we take a look at an altered crime scene. 
I can find no photos of what it looked like before the trees were cut down. If they were as large and bushy as reported
then the difficulty of the shot might be called into question. For the record the temperature was 59 F so about 15C and cloud covered, the sunset time of that day was 6:12 PM.
The target area faces West so would have been highlighted for any shooters facing Eastward toward the hotel balcony. No measurable winds from what I could find geographically or reported in the paper of the time. Perfect shooting conditions.
However an unskilled shooter with an obscured moving target has a really low chance of success even in optimal climatic conditions.
Many shooters can find a shot around the branches or work a good angle. So I think it would come down to having a good hide or perch from which to shoot from.
Lets take a look at the alleged snipers hide:
The view isn’t bad without trees, but standing in a bathtub at an angle makes for an awkward position for the shooter to engage the target.
Ray was reported to be 5’10 or 1.78m. Exactly my height.
I would personally find this an awkward shot and might have to take it “off hand”. For myself it’s a disadvantage but with a service rifle still doable.
Using a pump action rifle off hand for an inexperienced shooter is starting to look even more unlikely. Still possible, but the hit probability is starting to drop significantly.
At left: Picture clipped from a french magazine, Paris Match, doing a report about the MLK assassination. 20th of April 1968 edition.
I have no idea how tall the guy holding the mop in imitation of a rifle is. In this picture, based on the tub size, He is one of those short euro dudes of the time say 5.6″ or so. But the picture does illustrate the awkwardness for a right handed shooter to get in a good shot position and eye relief from a scoped rifle in this position. Ray was 5’10”.
Of note I found out later on that this bathroom was the same one used by all the tenants of the house. None of the individual apartments had washrooms and was a communal washroom. Hardly a secure spot. Also of note: later photos of the tub show boot marks on the upper side near the window. I’m not seeing that in the crime scene photos.
Following (alterations by myself) graphic taken from Bisbos
A look at the crime scene: wider area
Here we can see (1) the alleged assassin hide has 3 windows and left most one
was the window fired from hitting MLK on the balcony at 306 across the street(2).
Easy to see what an odd angle that would be for a good shot(1).
Initially I took a look using google maps south on Mulberry to see if there was some better shot angles and any building tall enough within a block or so runs into the same problems as the alleged assassin location with odd angles or buildings in the way, etc.
The fire hall does offer a ridiculously easy shot but if it was crawling with cops and army intelligence as alleged.
I have some serious doubts that a would be assassin would choose that spot with so many potential witnesses, armed witnesses whose job it is to arrest criminals lol. Not so say there weren’t bad cops at the time. That is without a doubt.
There’s just too many moving parts and people who would maybe or maybe not be sympathetic to assassinating a major public figure. I find it even more unlikely then Ray being the assassin. Not impossible just not probable.
Another simple graphic for ease of learning from Karl Gude
O.K. smart guy so how would you have done it?
Well for starters, NOT the rooming house. Maybe down on the ground in the courtyard would have been a good place but again if it wasn’t all covered in bush.
City workers removed trees and brush from the site the following morning. Wasn’t that convenient!
Egress could be problematic as it would involve hoping a fence. I don’t think there was an alleyway from what I could tell the buildings abut each other.
The fire hall seems like an obvious spot but again too many people that could get in the way.
Plus getting out of a building packed full of cops, military observers and feds seems like a nightmare scenario for any assassin to get the hell out unnoticed. Further south down Mulberry I discounted earlier.
I’ve come up with 2 alternate locations I would have used in such an event “If I did it“.
Option 1: In the above graphic number 3 shows “Ray’s” car. The set up is almost a direct line like you’d have a shooting range. It’d be an incredibly easy shot rolling down the window, balance a rifle on the door, squeeze the trigger, target down, drive away. Approx 100m shot (109.36 yards). Fairly standard for most shooters.
Option 2: Next good location (using Google street view/maps) was 431 South Main Street. It would be about to the left across the street from the “Ray’s car” number 3 in the above graphic. I would pick this location if the target view was obstructed by trees from the parking lot. Otherwise the car idea, I think, would be optimal. 431 South Main is a direct line to the target area and is a 3 story building that offers a clear line of sight. It is now houses a marketing group .
Range to target approx 125m(136.7 yards) again not a very long shot.
This building for a time was a warehouse for grocery stores and apparently a machinery sales at some time (if the painting graphic is correct).
Some of the information I’ve read for this area also indicates that many of the buildings in this area were also abandoned due to an economic slow down at the time and manufacturing jobs moving out of town.
So maybe it was abandoned at the time, I can’t find out for sure. However taking a view from other directions around the area it would be easy to get lost in the terrain. At least in this case, there is plenty of urban area to filter through and make for an easy escape on foot or hop in a vehicle and be out of sight quickly.
Below: view from 431 Main St facing toward Lorraine Motel with a direct line of sight to room 306.
For a rifle: a reliable bolt action(not a pump), larger caliber rifle (30-06, .338, .308) with a moderate scope. Doesn’t need to be a “powerful” scope like some have written in reference to Ray using a 2×7 scope.
News flash for anyone not into firearms: that’s not a powerful scope. It’s fairly cheap and standard out of the box. Manufacturers have them as giveaways to go with rifles. Justifying an increased cost with a cheap scope. 2x makes the object appear twice as close as it actually is. The 7 is the size of the objective in mm.
Ammo: choice would be hollow point for maximum damage plus its a relatively short range to the target from any of the positions so no real need to worry about using jacketed vs wind and bullet drop etc.
Final comments:
For people who might pooh pooh the fire hall as a sniper location: You might say, “somebody would have said something“. In an ideal world were truth and justice prevail maybe. Those who subscribe to that idea probably have never signed an “Official Secrets Act” document, penalties are pretty stiff. Not to mention if your on a small team bumping off public figures the cost for talking will be a lot more than life in prison. It could cost your family and loved one’s their lives.
If whatever agency or group is willing to kill someone as important as MLK you would just be a speed bump. There is also still the unsolved murder of Ken McElroy in Skidmore, Missouri (July 10, 1981). He was the town asshole and probably deserved it. He was gunned down in broad daylight on main street. Estimates vary of 60 to 90 witnesses around at the time. It’s 2021, at time of writing, and nobody has said shit. In a building with about 20 or so people in it and who probably had a hate on for MLK. It’s a possibility.
The Flop house: As I’ve outlined, it is unlikely but not impossible. On the grounds behind the flop house as some allege? Possible, not probable.
Other locations: plenty of ways to do a dirty deed and only limited by ones imagination. Practicality and probability has to come into play however.
Who did it?: In this series I try to be less focused on the who done it but rather “if I did it“. Potential assassins: from everything I’ve read (based on skill,ability,opportunity,motives) No.1 would be MPD Frank Strausser a police marksman. Dixe Mafia being involved is possible but less likely. Green Beret unit from 20th SFG- operation Lantern Spike? Too many conspiracy folks use “special forces” or “military intelligence” as a proverbial boogeyman.
Special Forces: There’s a lot of moving parts in the military but it’s also a very small world. Especially in SF groups. They are still subject to the chain of command and there’s a whole slew of paperwork and logistics that chases around any military groups. I don’t think it would be practical or very stealthy to use them in domestic operations. Maybe a sheep dipped group or individual which is where our friends in the CIA come into play as a likely contender.
The CIA: At the time the CIA was chasing around hippies and other subversives in their battle against the scourge of communism- OP CHAOS and MKULTRA. Problem being that most of the problems were actually domestic and had little or nothing to do with the russkies. The FBI (whom the King family does blame) had COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) and a very active get King off the stage program going. They saw him as a dangerous political subversive and also thought the russkies were behind it all.
The Mafia: Less likely- Cosa Nostra, the mob, etal. As long as they weren’t losing money they could have given a damn about MLK.
James Earl Ray ( possible MK ULTRA victim?) could be a close 3rd for patsy of the century award followed by Sirhan B Sirhan and Lee Harvey Oswald.
Well I think that’s about it until the next installment of Assassination Mechanics: “If I did it“.
My hope is that you found this article informative and use the links provided to do some further research into this important time in history. Feel free to share your own conclusions in the commentary or write to evilvonscary@evilvonscary.com or visit us on the Evil von Scary Show on Facebook.
Thanks for tuning in- EvS