In 1968, Dr. King traveled to Memphis in support of a strike involving sanitation workers, many of whom worked full time but still needed financial assistance. While standing on a motel balcony in Memphis, Tenn., he was fatally shot on April 4, 1968. Hours before his death, he delivered the prolific "I've been to the Mountain Top" speech. James Earl Ray was tried for the assassination of Dr. King, Jr., found guilty, and sentenced to 99 years in prison.