NYT > U.S. News Clara Ester, Who Was With Martin Luther King Jr. in His Last Moments, Dies at 78 Par :Jeré Longman 29 juillet 2026 à 18:53 A Memphis college student and activist, she witnessed Dr. King’s assassination in 1968 when he was shot at his motel and ran to him to check his pulse. © Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal, via USA TODAY Network — Reuters ConnectOn April 4, 1968, Clara Ester drove to the Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot outside his room.