Witness to King’s Final Moments | Birmingham News

Birmingham AL News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 15, 2026 · 1m

Clara Jean Ester, a 20-year-old college student who witnessed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Memphis in 1968, has died at 77. She was there at the Lorraine Motel, saw King struggle for air after being shot, and tried to check for a pulse—finding none. She recalled his peaceful expression, as if he’d already seen the mountaintop. Later moving to Mobile, Alabama, she remained devoted to her church and justice, embodying a life of unwavering service. Her bishop called her a living testament to unconditional love. Now gone, her firsthand account is a vital, fading voice from the…