Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray was originally the prime suspect and was brought in for a trial two months after the death. Based on the advice of his attorney, to avoid a possible death penalty Ray admitted to the murder of MLK. 3 days later he recanted his plea and said he didn't commit the murder.

Later civil cases found that James Earl Ray was not the murder of Marin Luther King Jr. and instead placed the blame on Loyd Jowers, a nearby bar owner to where the murder occurred, as well as government involvement. The King family contends that James Earl Ray was innocent and that forces within the government were involved in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.