</s>SECOND FLOOR PLAN BATHROOM WINDOW FROM WHERE SHOT WAS FIRED of ROOMING HOUSE STAIRWAY TO SECOND PLOOR 6-B 5-B 4-B 3-B 2-B OFFICE. 1-B PACKAGE DROPPED IN DOORWAY (First Floor) EXIT ROUTE OF SUBJECT. 418-420. 422 422/2 424. NORTH ENTRANCE (Stairway) SOUTH ENTRYANCE (Station) TO ROOMIN' HOUSE TO ROOING HOUSE S. MAIN ST. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. A white 1966 Mustang with Alabama license plate #1-38993 was identified as fleeing the scene shortly after the shooting. The FBI initiated an investigation, coordinating with local authorities to collect evidence including a Remington Model 760 rifle found at the crime scene, binoculars linked to a purchase in Memphis, and a blue suitcase containing personal items and maps. Eric S. Galt was identified as a central suspect due to his association with the vehicle, rifle, and physical evidence. Galt’s movements were tracked through rooming house records, laundry marks traced to a Los Angeles laundromat, and connections to Birmingham and Atlanta. The FBI linked Galt to the purchase of the rifle and binoculars in March–April 1968. By April 17, 1968, fingerprint evidence confirmed that Galt and James Earl Ray were the same individual. Ray, a fugitive from Missouri’s Jefferson City Penitentiary, was indicted for MLK’s murder on May 7, 1968. The documents detail the FBI’s investigative process but do not confirm Ray’s guilt definitively.  

Key People  
- **Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.**: Victim of the assassination.  
- **Eric S. Galt**: Central suspect linked to the Mustang, rifle, and physical evidence; later identified as James Earl Ray.  
- **James Earl Ray**: Escaped convict from Missouri’s Jefferson City Penitentiary; indicted for MLK’s murder in Memphis on May 7, 1968.  
- **FBI Agents**: Conducted investigations into Galt/Ray’s movements, employment, and associations.  
- **Rita and Charles** (Galt’s acquaintances): Rita’s children were picked up in New Orleans during a trip with Galt.  
- **Reuben Butler**: Agitator in Philadelphia linked to threats against James Bevel, though unrelated to MLK’s assassination.  

Key Locations  
- **Los Angeles, California**: Galt’s apartment and hotel stays; dance studio where he took lessons.  
- **Birmingham, Alabama**: Site of rifle and binoculars purchase connected to the assassination.  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Where Ray was indicted for MLK’s murder.  
- **New Orleans, Louisiana**: Galt’s trip to retrieve Rita’s children.  
- **Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico**: Galt’s travel destination in October–November 1967.  
- **Jefferson City, Missouri**: Site of Ray’s imprisonment and escape in April 1967.  

Key Events  
- **November 1967 – January 1968**: Galt rented an apartment in Los Angeles, appearing reclusive.  
- **March–April 1968**: Galt purchased a rifle and binoculars in Birmingham, Alabama, linked to MLK’s assassination.  
- **April 1968**: FBI fingerprint experts confirmed James Earl Ray and Eric Galt were the same person.  
- **May 7, 1968**: Ray was indicted for MLK’s murder in Memphis, Tennessee.  
- **June 1968**: Threats against James Bevel (unrelated to MLK) were reported, involving Reuben Butler and Cecil Moore.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted investigations into Galt/Ray’s activities and linked him to the assassination.  
- **House Select Committee on Assassinations**: Reviewed materials related to MLK’s assassination, including Ray’s case.  
- **Local Law Enforcement (e.g., Memphis Police Department)**: Involved in Ray’s indictment and pursuit.  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary**: Site of Ray’s imprisonment before his escape in April 1967.

MLK Declassified Files

190-hq-709_bulky_231_sec_005_ser_231_only-part_02_of_12.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search