This Day in History: , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Is Assassinated.br April 4, 1968.br King was shot and killed br as he stood on the second-floor balcony br of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN.br The “apostle of nonviolence” br had gone to Memphis in support br of a sanitation workers' strike.br Widely recognized as the most prominent br face of the American Civil Rights Movement, br Dr. King was just 39 years old.br In a prophetic speech the night before his murder, br King stated that, “I’ve seen the promised land. br I may not get there with you.".br Petty criminal James Earl Ray was arrested br two months later and eventually br pleaded guilty to King's assassination.br After being sentenced to 99 years in prison, br Ray recanted his confession. Questions of a br conspiracy to assassinate Dr. King continue to linger.br King's death sparked riots in br more than 100 American cities.