James Earl Ray Loses Bid to Travel for Liver Surgery
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NASHVILLE — An ailing James Earl Ray, in prison for the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., was denied permission Monday to go to Pennsylvania to see whether he can get a liver transplant.
Irvin Kilcrease, a Chancery Court judge, said Ray’s lawyers failed to give a legal reason why the 69-year-old inmate should be moved to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. William Pepper, Ray’s chief lawyer, said he will appeal in days.
Ray is serving a 99-year sentence after pleading guilty to King’s assassination in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968. He retracted his confession almost immediately and has been trying for years to win a trial.
State lawyers argued that Ray’s request didn’t have to be honored. Tennessee grants inmates out-of-state furloughs only to visit sick relatives or to attend the funeral of a family member, state Solicitor General Michael Moore said.
He added that Tennessee cannot compel another state to accept Ray or provide security for him. Ray’s lawyers said the trip would be paid for with donations.
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