Episode 3, Who Are You? The MLK Tapes

CURRENT EPISODE - EPISODE 13

125,000 Reasons

After King is murdered, John Curington notices increased contact between H.L. Hunt and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. One day, Hunt gives Curington a satchel to bring to Ray's attorney, Percy Foreman. As he hands the bag to Foreman, Curington says the words he was told to say: "Here are 125,000 reasons for Ray to plead guilty."

EPISODE 1

Death of a King

Who killed Martin Luther King, and why? While some answers have emerged over the past 50 years, others have been hiding in plain sight.

EPISODE 2

Setting for a Murder

The black firemen across the street told to report elsewhere. The black detective surveilling King taken off the job. King’s all-black police security unit ordered to stand down. All this and more on just what happened to be the day Dr. King was shot.

Episode 3, Who Are You? The MLK Tapes

EPISODE 3

Who Are You?

Attorney Art Hanes Jr. and his father decide to represent James Earl Ray who says he didn’t kill King. As they prepare for trial, they discover serious problems with the case against Ray.

EPISODE 4

Sweet-Talking Percy

Famous criminal lawyer Percy Foreman talks his way in by telling Ray that his will be the easiest case he ever argued. Then, at the last moment, he informs Ray that he must plead guilty. Was Foreman working for someone offstage?

EPISODE 5

Jim’s Grill

The back door of Jim’s Grill in Memphis opens onto a yard just opposite the Lorraine Motel. Waitress Betty Spates hears a sharp noise and then sees her boss, Loyd Jowers, come through the door carrying a smoking rifle.

Episode 3, Who Are You? The MLK Tapes

EPISODE 6

The Death Slug

Bill Pepper’s petition to reopen the case against Ray lands in the courtroom of Judge Joe Brown, a firearms expert, who has his doubts that the rifle found on the street was murder weapon.

EPISODE 7

A Connected Man

A witness, John McFerren, overhears mob-connected Frank Liberto talking on the telephone, a conversation he’s not supposed to hear.

EPISODE 8

The Gun Runner

Texas woman Glenda Grabow tells Bill Pepper she knew a gun runner in Houston named Raul, who she thinks was involved in the murder of Martin Luther King. Could this be the same Raul known by James Earl Ray?

Episode 3, Who Are You? The MLK Tapes

EPISODE 9

Killing Ray

Bill Pepper gets a phone call from attorney Rusty Larson who says that his client, Jim Green, was involved in the murder of King. Then Green calls and says his assignment was to kill Ray.

EPISODE 10

Every Dog For His Own

After 30 years of silence, cab driver Louis Ward comes forward to tell what happened to him when King was shot. A few years later, Ronnie Lee Adkins, who says his family was involved in the assassination, confirms Ward’s story.

EPISODE 11

A Dead Shot

Lenny Curtis works at the police rifle range where sharpshooter Frank Strausser talks about killing King. On the fatal day, Strausser practices all morning with his new rifle. When Strausser leaves for town, Curtis tries to warn King, but fails. Years later, Pepper confronts Strausser.

Episode 3, Who Are You? The MLK Tapes

BONUS EPISODE

William Pepper

On this Bonus Episode, we look at the life of Attorney Bill Pepper. We trace his early career in sports, a brush with the mob, work for Bobby Kennedy, travels in Vietnam and Cuba, and his friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. Then, how he came to represent James Earl Ray’s brother, at the House Committee hearing.

EPISODE 12

Campaign to Destroy King

Dallas oilman H.L. Hunt hated communists, and in his mind this included Martin Luther King. He attacked King regularly on his program Life Line, carried daily on 500 radio stations across the country. Hunt believed this would be enough to destroy King, but J. Edgar Hoover had other ideas.

EPISODE 13

125,000 Reasons

After King is murdered, John Curington notices increased contact between H.L. Hunt and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. One day, Hunt gives Curington a satchel to bring to Ray’s attorney, Percy Foreman. As he hands the bag to Foreman, Curington says the words he was told to say: “Here are 125,000 reasons for Ray to plead guilty.”

GET IN TOUCH

Questions about the show or ideas to share? We’d love to hear from you. By submitting you are joining the mailing list for this podcast and Tenderfoot TV to receive updates and info on this show, future shows and other Tenderfoot TV projects.

PRESS INQUIRIES

Email us directly or submit via the form below.