Attorneys seek James Earl Ray's release on bond

September 2, 1997
Web posted at: 5:58 p.m. EDT (2158 GMT)

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- Attorneys for James Earl Ray are expected to request on Tuesday that the confessed killer of Martin Luther King Jr. be released on bond. They cite a state law in Tennessee that allows a new trial when a judge dies while considering a motion.

Two weeks after confessing to the 1968 assassination, Ray sent a letter to Shelby County Criminal Court Judge W. Preston Battle, seeking to withdraw his plea and obtain a trial.

Battle died of a heart attack five days later, before making a decision.

His successor and the Tennessee Supreme Court rejected Ray's request. Attorneys for Ray say those actions violated the state law at issue.

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