Video of James Earl Ray Autopsy for Sale
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A videotape of James Earl Ray's autopsy is up for sale, the brother of Martin Luther King Jr.'s confessed killer said Monday.
Jerry Ray said he hopes to sell the two-hour video for up to $400,000, though no firm price has been set.
"A lot of people have an interest in things like that," Ray said.
Ray made the announcement on a sidewalk near the National Civil Rights Museum on the site of King's assassination on April 4, 1968.
Ray intended to hold a news conference just below the balcony where King was felled by a rifle slug. He left without argument when told to move on.
The museum was hosting visitors on the 37th anniversary of King's death.
"For him to come and besmirch the memory of one of the greatest leaders of the world, on today of all days, is unacceptable," said Gwen Harmon, the museum's marketing director. "Freedom of speech, I'm all for. He has that freedom, but he can do that press conference in the middle of (Interstate) 240 or on Main Street. But not here."
Ray said he planned to offer the videotape on eBay. The Internet trading site said, however, that it does not handle morgue pictures or videos.
Ray said he needs money to continue a legal fight over the .30-caliber hunting rifle identified as the firearm used to kill King. Tennessee courts say the rifle belongs to the state, and it is on display at the civil rights museum.
The Conspiracy Museum in Dallas has offered $100,000 for the rifle, and Ray said he has gotten offers of up to $250,000 in the past.
James Earl Ray died of liver disease in Nashville in 1998 while serving a 99-year prison sentence for King's murder.
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