The FBI concluded that the motive behind the murder was that Ray was poor and there was a bond on King set by racist Southerners. Three days after confessing to 1st-degree murder, Ray fired his attorney and said that his attorney told him that if he did not immediately confess to killing MLK, they'd give him the death penalty or someone would kill him quicker. Ray told his new attorney William Pepper he believed he accidentally assisted with the murder of MLK and he believed that he was a victim of the larger conspiracy, additionally, King's family concluded that Ray was an innocent man (for killing King). MLK's son Dexter went to the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary to meet Ray, He asked, “I just want to know did you kill my father” to which Ray replied “No, no I didn't” Dexter said, “I know and my whole family knows.” King's family over the next few years fought for Ray to get a retrial. King's wife sued Loyd Jowers and the federal government for committing a conspiracy to murder, to which they won the case. They were represented by William Pepper, who was Ray’s second attorney. King's wife brought in over 70 witnesses and 4000 papers of