King's assassin in coma, near death

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., was in a coma near death Tuesday, suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure, according to a spokesman for his attorney.

"He's in very serious condition" at Columbia Nashville Memorial Hospital, said attorney William Pepper's spokesman, who requested anonymity. "It's just a matter of how long he'll be able to hold out."

The cirrhosis of the liver led to internal bleeding last weekend, and Ray was transferred from the hospital ward at Riverbend Maximum-Security Prison in Nashville.

Jerry Ray signed a request for his brother not to be put on life support.

Ray, 68, has been serving a 99-year sentence for the April 1968 slaying of King at a Memphis, Tennessee motel. Arrested after an international manhunt, Ray pleaded guilty but promptly recanted. Several civil rights leaders have suspected he did not act alone.

Special Section:

• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 1996

Related stories:

Tell us what you think! You said it...

© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.