</s>FD-280 (Rev. 8-28-59) DECODED COPY Radio XX Teletype .TO: ALL SACS FROM: DIRECTOR 061655 GR 325 MURKIN FOR INFORMATION ALL OFFICES AND NOT TO BE DISCLOSED TO ANYONE OUTSIDE OF OFFICE IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO ANYONGE OUTSIDETION THAT SUBJECT JAMES EARL RAY RESIDED THROUGH INVESTIGATION THAT SUBJECTS JAMES EARL MAY SIX IN CANADA FROM APRIL EIGHT SIXTY-EIGHT UNTIL MAY SIZX SIXTY.EIGHT UNDER NAMES PAUL BRIDGMAN AND RAMON GEORGE SNEYD. SUBJECT DEPARTED CANADA FOR LONDON, ENGLAND, ON MAY SIX LAST. SNEYD IS BELEVED USING CANADIAN PASSPORT IN THAT NAME. SUBJECT BELIEVED TO BE WEARING GLASSES. IN VIEW OF ABOVE DEVELOPMENTS REVIEW OF DRIVER'S. LICENSE BUREAU RECORDS AS REQUESTED IN BUREA RADIOGRAM MAY TWO ONE LAST MAY BE DISCONTINUED. OFFICES COVERING POINTS OF ENTRANCE INTO U.S. SHOULD PLACE APPROPRIATE STOPS WITH BORDER AND CUSTOM AUTHORITIES UNDER NAME OF RAMON GORGE SNEYED. NO INDICATION WHATSOOVER SHOULD BE GIVEN THAT THERE IS ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN SNYD AND KING ASSASSINATION. YOU MAY ADVICE AUTHORITIES: THAT THERE is INDIVIDUAL SEARCHED? INDEXED SEALALIZED. (FILLED) If the intelligence contained in the above message is to be disseminated outside the Bureau, SENALIKED, FILLED, SUTIALIZED, JUNE 6-1968 paraphased in order to protect the Bureau's geographic systems. FR-NEW HAVEN 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed by a single bullet fired from the bathroom window of a house located at 422 South Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. The victim was observed on the second-floor balcony of Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel. A rifle was found near the scene, later identified as a Remington Game Master Model 760 (serial number 461476) with a Redfield telescopic sight (serial number 4730). Additional items recovered from the vicinity included Bushnell binoculars (serial number DQ408684), a plastic bottle of Mennen Afta Shaving Lotion, an unopened can of Schlitz beer labeled "Mississippi! Tax Paid," and a Channel Master radio receiver.  

A gray paper bag containing these items bore the name "York Arms." The FBI Laboratory confirmed that fingerprints found on the rifle’s telescopic sight, binoculars, and other objects matched those of James Earl Ray (FBI #405 G2), who was later incarcerated in Missouri. A handwritten note on the Channel Master radio indicated the serial number "00416," which was linked to Ray’s FBI file.  

Eric S. Galt was identified as a suspect through hotel registration records and forensic analysis of his signature, which matched handwriting samples attributed to Ray. Galt had stayed at the Rebel Motel in Memphis on April 3, 1968, and later resided in Birmingham, Alabama. A Mustang abandoned near the scene contained laundry marked with "20R-3," which was traced to Avalon Cleaners in Los Angeles. Fibers from this laundry were compared to those found at the crime scene.  

Key People  
- **Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.**: Shot and killed on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.  
- **James Earl Ray**: Identified as the perpetrator through fingerprint evidence, handwriting analysis, and purchase records of the Remington rifle (Model 760, serial number 414616).  
- **Eric S. Galt**: Suspect linked to the investigation via hotel registrations, signature analysis, and connection to the abandoned Mustang.  
- **JERRY RAYNES**: Father of James Earl Ray, reported to have married his mother in Jacksonville, Florida, in the early 1940s.  

Key Locations  
- **422 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee**: Location of the shooting incident and the Lorraine Motel.  
- **Rebel Motel, Memphis, Tennessee**: Hotel where Eric S. Galt stayed on April 3, 1968.  
- **Home Seward Laundry, Dry Cleaning, Los Angeles, California**: Facility associated with laundry marks linked to the crime scene.  
- **Avalon Cleaners and Laundry, Inc., Los Angeles, California**: Laundromat where "20R-3" marked items were processed.  

Key Events  
- **April 4, 1968**: Dr. King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel; a Remington rifle and other items were recovered from the scene.  
- **April 5, 1968**: A Mustang containing laundry and personal items was found abandoned near Memphis.  
- **FBI Laboratory Analysis**: Confirmed fingerprints on the rifle, binoculars, and other evidence matched James Earl Ray. Handwriting comparisons linked Galt’s signature to Ray’s known handwriting.  
- **Laundry Fiber Comparison**: Fibers from the Mustang’s laundry were analyzed against those found at the crime scene, suggesting a connection to the perpetrator.  

Key Organizations  
- **FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)**: Conducted forensic analysis of fingerprints, handwriting, and ballistic evidence.  
- **Memphis Police Department**: Investigated the shooting and recovered items from the crime scene.  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary**: Where James Earl Ray was incarcerated at the time of the investigation.  
- **U.S. Probation Officer (Kansas City, Missouri)**: Provided handwriting samples for comparison with evidence in the case.

MLK Declassified Files

157-nh-818_626213_20-02-part_2_of_6.pdf

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