</s>FD-302 (Rev. 4-15-64) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Date 4/12/68 1 SAM N. HUDSON, 3847 Marion Street, Desk Clerk, Rebel Motor Hotel, 3466 Lamar Avenue, advised that he was on duty at the hotel room 6:00 AM on April 4, 2, 4, 0, 00 PM on April 1968. The hotel room was located at the same time as the hotel was the same time that the occupant was taken away- thing was taken from the room 34 and he was aware- of any automobile that this individual was driving. could not remember asking a white Mustang parked in the lot of any autobotnic that this room was not allowed to be in the parking lot. out on the morning of April 4. 1968, without coming to the desk. He stated that this would be normal if the individual desk, for that that this was not in normal if he individual He said that if anyone leaves anything in the hotel rooms after checking out, the maids will bring the objects to him and he tags them as to the room number, the occupant's name- and he tag them as the room numbers, 1968, more of the mids brought anything to him to be tagged. Mr. HUDSON was shown artist's conception drawings drawn in Memphis, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama, and he stated that neither of these drawings looked familiar to him. 140 4/11/68 at Memphis, Tennessees On 4/1/68 File # ME 44-1987 SA JOHN W. BAUER /bbs 4/ 11/68 by Date dictated This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The document contains an FBI investigation summary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. It details evidence collected from the crime scene, including a bullet fragment analyzed by the FBI Laboratory, clothing items recovered from the Lorraine Motel and St. Joseph’s Hospital, and a laundry tag with an unusual five-character code linked to an unidentifiable textile machine. The investigation also notes a red-and-white stick pin found in a suspect's room, processed fingerprints from a rooming house, and coordination between FBI agents and Memphis Police Department officers. Key unresolved issues include the identity of suspects and the origin of the laundry machine. A separate autopsy report from April 4, 1968, describes King’s fatal gunshot wound to the neck and spinal cord, with detailed anatomical findings including fractures, lacerations, and organ damage. The cause of death is attributed to spinal cord trauma resulting from the bullet’s trajectory.  

Key People  
- **Martin Luther King Jr.** (victim)  
- **Lt. J.D. Hamby** (Memphis Police Department investigator)  
- **Det. E.S. Berkley** (recovered clothing and personal items from St. Joseph’s Hospital)  
- **Dr. Jerry R. Francisco** (medical examiner who removed the bullet)  
- **Frank Brewer** (landlord of the rooming house at 422 S. Main Street)  
- **Drs. Sprunt and Francisco** (assistant pathologists in the autopsy report)  
- **J.T. Cannale** (medical examiner for the autopsy report)  
- **District Attorney General for Shelby County, Tennessee**  

Key Locations  
- **Lorraine Motel**, Memphis, Tennessee (crime scene)  
- **St. Joseph’s Hospital**, Memphis, Tennessee (where King was treated and clothing items recovered)  
- **422 S. Main Street**, Memphis, Tennessee (rooming house where suspects were believed to have stayed)  
- **Memphis, Tennessee** (autopsy conducted at a hospital affiliated with the City of Memphis Hospitals)  
- **Shelby County, Tennessee** (county medical examiner’s office and district attorney general’s office)  

Key Events  
- **April 4, 1968**: Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.  
- **April 4–6, 1968**: FBI agents coordinated with Memphis Police Department officers to secure and process evidence from the crime scene, including clothing items, a bullet fragment, and laundry tags.  
- **Autopsy conducted on April 4, 1968**: Detailed examination of King’s injuries, including fractures of the mandible, spinal cord damage, and lacerations to the vertebral artery and subclavian artery.  
- **Submission of findings**: Autopsy results were reported to the Tennessee Department of Public Health and Shelby County authorities.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted forensic analysis of bullet fragments, clothing items, and laundry tags; coordinated with local law enforcement.  
- **Memphis Police Department**: Provided evidence collection support, including securing the crime scene and processing fingerprints.  
- **City of Memphis Hospitals** (affiliated hospital where King was treated)  
- **Tennessee Department of Public Health** (received autopsy findings for review)  
- **Shelby County, Tennessee** (county medical examiner’s office and district attorney general’s office)

MLK Declassified Files

157-no-10673_hs1-852666771_123-01-part_4_of_4.pdf

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