</s>FD-302 (Rev. 4:1564) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 1 Date: 4/27/68 LEO HOLDEN PARKER, No. 15254, Missouri State Penitentiary, received April 19, 1968, to serve 15 years for Armed Robbery-1st said he was released on parole to Dismas House in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 1, 1967, after serving House in Louis, Louisiana, on July 1, 1969, in 1967, and after serving July 18, 1969. For having kidnapped a boy and girl and robbing them of money and their car. The car was recovered in St . Louis, Missouri, and the car was committed on July 11, 1967. and he was arrested July 18, 1968. The vehicle was parked in front of the house. He noticed the newspaper articles stated that the Kidnapper had mentioned being recently escaped from prison. among other things had blue eyes. He has brown eyes, and he said, while in jail, he talked to everyone that could find out what prisoner had to tell him that he could be found out what his prisoner at St ., Louis, Illinois that he had told This was in September of 1967. He said this prisoner whose name was not recall of him. He knew this, said that, "RAY had name he could not recall all the evidence that he said it, said he had had narcotics and was living and eating in a garage he had been making money in various hold-ups. PARKER said he tried to get his attorney to send for a photograph of RAY, and this was not done. PARKER Said that he did not see not so much of his photograph of Ray. until this last week when pictures were published in him in newspapers in connection with the murder of Dr. MARTIN LUTHER KING. He noted the close resemblance between him and RAY. he said he thinks RAY is responsible for the crime for which thing he can to help locate RAY." thing he came to help locate RAY PARKKER said a large blow-up picture of him was used in his trial, but the picture had been touched up to remove facial scars. He noticed he had tattoos on his arms that would show and yet the witnesses did not recall them. He Said he show that he was not recall them, he said he by the St. and St.Louis Police. He claims he had a good alibi and did not commit the crime, but was convicted on his record and from biased testimony based on faulty identification of 4/26/68.01 Jefferson City, Missouri File# KC 44-760 SA ROWEN B. AYERS/r1 4/28/68 by SA ROWN B. AVERS/rl<loc_158><loc_872><loc_393><loc_886><loc_158><loc_887>Date dictated 4/25/68

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into James Earl Ray’s activities during his incarceration at Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) from 1960 to 1967, including his escape in April 1967. Inmates such as Leo Holden Parker and George Pen Edmondson provided accounts of Ray’s alleged criminal ties, including kidnapping and robbery in St. Louis, Missouri, and connections to drug trafficking. Parker claimed Ray was involved in the 1967 abduction of Rita Brockelman and George McQuade Jr., with the car used in the crime recovered in St. Louis. Other inmates described Ray’s interactions with Mexican nationals, his attempts to obtain a Canadian passport, and potential hiding places in Mexico or Canada. The FBI also documented financial transactions involving Ray, including money orders sent by individuals like John Ray and Phillip L. Baker. A psychiatric evaluation at Fulton State Hospital noted Ray’s diagnosis of sociopathic personality disorder with depressive features, though no direct link to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination was established. Raymond Lewis Curtis, a fellow inmate paroled in June 1967, is referenced alongside Ray’s escape plans and cell assignments.  

Key People  
- **Leo Holden Parker**: Inmate who recognized James Earl Ray through newspaper photos after MLK’s assassination, alleging his involvement in kidnapping and robbery.  
- **George Pen Edmondson**: Inmate who identified Ray as an associate of Raymond Lewis Curtis and discussed his escape plans and passport acquisition efforts.  
- **John Kennedy**: Inmate at MSP who reported Ray’s presence in 1966 and his alleged drug trafficking activities.  
- **Howard Nunn**: Inmate who described Ray’s prison behavior, including his quiet demeanor and potential connections to Mexico.  
- **James Earl Ray**: Central figure linked to the investigation, with multiple inmates providing accounts of his escape, criminal activities, and possible whereabouts.  
- **Raymond Lewis Curtis**: Fellow inmate paroled in June 1967; referenced alongside Ray’s escape plans and financial transactions.  
- **Julius Mairice Bock, Sterling Junior Hill, Richard Berman, Lt. William Robert Turner**: Inmates/investigators who provided details about Ray’s prison activities, including his solitary nature and interactions with Mexican nationals.  
- **Powell, Russell, Kenny Hurt**: Alleged associates of Ray involved in escape attempts or criminal activities.  

Key Locations  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary (Jefferson City, Missouri)**: Site of interviews and records detailing Ray’s incarceration, cell assignments, and interactions with other inmates.  
- **St. Louis, Missouri**: Location of alleged kidnapping and robbery incidents involving Ray.  
- **Mexico** (Campache Bay, Acapulco): Discussed in relation to Ray’s potential hiding places and drug trafficking activities.  
- **Canada**: Referenced in connection to Ray’s passport acquisition efforts.  
- **Fulton State Hospital (Fulton, Missouri)**: Site of Ray’s psychiatric evaluation diagnosing sociopathic personality disorder.  
- **California State Penitentiary (Chino, California)**: Mentioned as a location for Raymond Lewis Curtis’s incarceration.  

Key Events  
- **James Earl Ray’s escape from Missouri State Penitentiary (April 1967)**: Inmates provided details about his escape via a bread box and alleged assistance from prison staff.  
- **Kidnapping and robbery of Rita Brockelman and George McQuade Jr. (July 1967)**: Parker claimed Ray was involved, with the car used in the crime recovered in St. Louis.  
- **Passport acquisition efforts by Ray**: Discussions about obtaining Canadian passports for evasion of law enforcement.  
- **Psychiatric evaluation of James Earl Ray at Fulton State Hospital**: Diagnosed with sociopathic personality disorder and depressive features.  
- **Financial transactions involving Ray**: Money orders received between 1963 and 1968, including senders like John Ray, Jerry Ray, and Phillip L. Baker.  
- **Parole of Raymond Lewis Curtis (June 27, 1967)**: Documented in records alongside Ray’s escape plans.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted interviews, maintained financial records, and investigated Ray’s activities and potential connections to MLK’s assassination.  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary**: Institutional facility where Ray and Curtis were incarcerated; site of inmate interactions and cell assignments.  
- **California State Penitentiary**: Location for Raymond Lewis Curtis’s incarceration.  
- **Fulton State Hospital**: Facility where Ray underwent psychiatric evaluation.

MLK Declassified Files

157-no-10673_hs1-852666771_125-03-part_2_of_4.pdf

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