James Earl Ray (March 10, 1928 – April 23, 1998) was an American convicted of the assassination of activist Martin Luther King, Jr.Ray was convicted on March 10, 1969, after entering a guilty plea to forgo a jury trial. Had he been found guilty by jury trial, he would have been eligible for the death penalty. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and tried unsuccessfully to gain access to a retrial.