James Earl Ray Seeks New Liver

James Earl Ray, imprisoned for assassinating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., needs a liver transplant, his lawyer said, and a search is on for a donor to circumvent the normal transplant process. Ray, 68, who is serving a 99-year sentence, has been hospitalized twice recently with chronic liver disease. He has been back in a state prison hospital since Jan. 3. His lawyer, William Pepper, said Ray will die within months without a transplant. Pepper said Ray supporters who believe King was the victim of a conspiracy want to keep Ray alive to continue his effort to prove his innocence.