What was James Earl Ray’s sentence for killing Martin Luther King, Jr.? July 28, 2020September 29, 2011 by Pamela Landy On March 12, 1969, James Earl Ray was sentenced to 99 years in prison for killing Martin Luther King, Jr. Related Answers Where was the assassin of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, James Earl Ray arrested? When and where did Martin Luther King, Jr., make his “I Have a Dream” speech? Where did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., get his doctorate? What year was Martin Luther King Day first observed as a federal holiday? In the British line of peerage, which is more important, a baron or an earl? Whom was Fatty Arbuckle accused of killing?