- Loyd Jowers
Loyd Jowers (1927ndash
May 20 ,2000 ) was the owner of a restaurant (Jim's Grill) near theLorraine Motel in Memphis, where Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. In December 1993, Jowers appeared in ABC's "Prime Time Live " and related the details of an alleged conspiracy involving theMafia and the U.S. government to kill King. According to Jowers,James Earl Ray was a scapegoat, and not involved in the assassination. Jowers believes that Memphis police officer Earl Clark fired the fatal shots.In 1998, the King family filed a
wrongful death lawsuit against Jowers and "other unknown co-conspirators" for the murder of King. A Memphis jury found Jowers responsible inDecember 8 ,1999 and that the assassination plot contained also "governmental agencies."United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division started investigation on Jowers claimsAugust 26 ,1998 . The investigation was completed in June 2000, and found no reason to believe Jowers' allegations.Jowers died from a heart attack on
May 20 ,2000 at the age of 73.References
* [http://www.thekingcenter.org/tkc/trial.html The trial transcript]
* [http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/crim/mlk/part1.htm Department of Justice investigation]
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