Background: Born in 1928 in Alton, Illinois into a poor family

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  Born in 1928 in Alton, Illinois into a poor family
  
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  When he was 7, his family moved to a farm in Ewing, Missouri while his father was out on bond for a forgery conviction
  
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    Ewing is located in Lewis County, which was a poor white region
    
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    In the 20s and 30s, the KKK thrived in this area
    
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    After moving there, Ray’s family embraced the KKK’s racist beliefs
    

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  As a child, Ray suffered from recurring nightmares, stuttering, and frequent bed-wetting
  
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  Ray rarely attended school because his ragged clothes and antisocial behavior made it hard for him to fit in
  
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    On a report card, one of Ray’s teachers noted that Ray was “repulsive” in appearance
    

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  Grew up around crime and alcohol, and often got in fights and engaged in petty theft
  
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  At age 15, he dropped out of school, but couldn’t manage to keep a job and joined the U.S. Army in 1945
  
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    He was sent to Germany, but his pro-Nazi beliefs and black market activities got him in trouble
    
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    He was finally discharged as inept after
    

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  Ray was constantly in and out of prison for
  

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  1942- at only 14 years old, Ray had a job
  

brothel until he was caught stealing a

customer’s pair of pants

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  1946- a year after returning from the Army,
  

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  1952- received a 2 year sentence for armed robbery in Chicago
  
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  1955- sentenced to 4 years in prison for a post office robbery in Kansas
  
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  1960- shortly after being released from his prior sentence, Ray received a 20 year sentence for armed robbery at a grocery store in Missouri
  
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    In April of 1967, Ray escaped prison by hiding in a bakery van. Little is known about the year following his escape, but it is rumored that he spent much of his time in Canada
    

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  1968- on April 4, Ray shot and killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while he was on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee
  
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    Evidence: Earlier that day, Ray checked into a boarding house across the street from King’s motel that faced the balcony where King was shot
    
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    A Remington 30.06 was found on the bathroom floor of Ray’s room and had his fingerprints on it
    
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    Ray rented a Ford Mustang and fled to Atlanta, where he led police on a chase from Atlanta to Canada, then to England, Portugal, and finally back to England
    
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    Ray pleaded guilty to the crime (though 3 days later he recanted his plea) and was sentenced to 99 years in prison
    
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  Ray escaped twice from prison (1977 and 1979) and was recaptured
  

As a child, Ray lived in a poor area and was constantly surrounded by violence and alcoholism. His own father, who most likely had a large influence on him, was in and out of jail frequently for various criminal charges. For these reasons, it is not surprising that Ray grew up to be a criminal himself; he was always interacting with deviants, and therefore learned deviant behavior. In addition, Ray grew up in a town where the KKK thrived at the time, and his family adopted their racist beliefs. Being exposed to racism at such an early age, Ray was influenced to follow the KKK’s beliefs as well.