</s>REPORT of the. FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION LABORATORY LABORATORARY WASHINGTON, D.C. 205535 To: FBI, Memphis (44-1987) Date: FBI File No. April 9, 1988 Fbi No. 44-38981 Re: UNKNOWN SUBJECT, also FBI File no. 44-58981 UNKNOWN SUBJECT,also known as John Willard, Leb. No. VICTIM LIVIER KING, JR ., VICTIVA RIGHTS Specimens received: 4/6/68 Q723 Winchester caliber Remington bolt-action rifle, Model 700, Serial Number 283749 from Aeromarine Supply Company Q73 Q73 Tlescope sight mount from 3/29/68, 243 Winchester caliber Rifle Q74 Original invoice dated 3/28/68. Number 2251A, covering sale of rifle to Harvey Lomoyer Q75 Copy of invoice, Number 2521A ALSO SUBMITTED: Factory box for 243 Winchester rifle Nine boxes of caliber .243 Winchester rifle ammunition Elimination major case prints of Donald F. Wood and U. L. Mathew Baker Result of examination: The name and signature on 6/74 and 6/75 were sentered through the National Fraudulent Check File and and compared with signatures appearing on Fingerprint cards located for the suspects who he had been named in this matter, but no identification- tion could be made. Q74 and Q75 are temporarily retained. 144-1740-445 SEARCHED INDEXED- SERIALIZED- -FLEED APR 12 1968 FBI - BIRMINGHAM 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on forensic analysis of firearms evidence, suspect identification, and location tracking. Key elements include examination of a .243 Winchester caliber Remington Model 700 rifle (serial number 283749) and ammunition linked to the crime. Suspects such as John Willard, Harvey Lomoyer, Eric Starvo Galt, Donald K. Miller, Joseph A. Svestka, Walter Michael Mallin, and Bobby Ray Graves are mentioned, with forensic comparisons of fingerprints, handwriting, and latent prints conducted. Investigations involved vehicle registration checks, hotel stays in Memphis, Alabama, and Ohio, as well as dead letter office correspondence and mental health records for Mallin. Efforts to link suspects to the crime included ballistic analysis, fingerprint databases, and tracking movements via post offices and service stations. A white Mustang with Alabama plates was associated with Memphis, Tennessee, through interviews at Rebel Motor Hotel and Delta Airlines manifests. No direct connection to MLK’s assassination was established in some cases, but efforts to gather witness accounts and verify suspect identities continued.  

Key People  
- Martin Luther King Jr. (victim)  
- John Willard (suspect; also referenced as "John Edgar Hoover" in one summary)  
- Harvey Lomoyer (rifle purchaser)  
- Eric Starvo Galt (connected to dead letter office checks)  
- Donald K. Miller (linked to a white Mustang)  
- Joseph A. Svestka (individual with Coast Guard and NASA employment history)  
- Walter Michael Mallin (mentally ill suspect with escape history from Longview State Mental Hospital)  
- Bobby Ray Graves (suspect linked to handwriting analysis)  
- Jay Wallis Vernon (connected to a white Mustang in Memphis)  
- Ivan B. Webb (hotel clerk at Rebel Motor Hotel)  
- Becky Anders (restaurant manager)  
- Marine sergeant (Detroit, reported threatening remarks about "niggers")  
- Staffer (Delta Airlines standby passenger described as a Marine with Southern accent)  
- Wanda Russell (Green Olive Bar manager at Thomas Jefferson Hotel)  
- Harlan D. Walker (hotel assistant manager)  
- Frances Taylor Busnellenberg (bar employee who recalled a tall, heavyset man)  
- Benjamin Birkenfield (hotel desk clerk)  
- James (Robert Lee James) and William Edward Cutshall (Southern Bell Telephone Company employees)  
- SAC Patrick J. Moynihan and SA Charles Z. Renfroe (FBI agents overseeing investigations)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (investigation hub; Rebel Motor Hotel, post offices, service stations)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (forensic lab, Thomas Jefferson Hotel, Green Olive Bar, Carriage House Restaurant, public libraries)  
- Cleveland, Ohio (suspect interviews, vehicle checks)  
- Akron, Ohio (Donald K. Miller’s movements)  
- Huntsville, Alabama (Svestka’s employment history)  
- Longview State Mental Hospital (Mallin’s incarceration)  
- Naval Air Station Millington, Tennessee (military personnel checks for Mustang ownership)  
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (Marine sergeant and Delta Airlines passenger inquiries)  
- U.S. Highway 31 South and Interstate 65 (highway checkpoints for suspect sightings)  

Key Events  
- Forensic analysis of firearms, ammunition, fingerprints, handwriting, and latent prints  
- Examination of Eric Starvo Galt’s dead letter office correspondence  
- Vehicle registration checks and tracking of a white Mustang with Alabama plates in Memphis  
- Interviews at Rebel Motor Hotel (room 34), restaurants, and service stations for suspect sightings  
- Review of mental health records for Walter Michael Mallin  
- Coordination with Memphis PD and Delta Airlines manifest reviews  
- Artist’s sketches of suspects shown to witnesses in Memphis and Birmingham  
- Library record checks at Birmingham public libraries for suspect names  
- Hotel reservation reviews and contact along highways near Decatur, Alabama, for potential sightings  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Latent Fingerprint Section (forensic analysis)  
- Dead Letter Office (postal service investigation)  
- U.S. Coast Guard (Svestka’s employment history)  
- Postal Services (Memphis post office, dead letter mail handling)  
- Memphis Police Department (coordinated with FBI on King’s murder investigation)  
- Delta Airlines (manifest review for standby passenger inquiries)  
- Southern Bell Telephone Company (employees providing testimony about suspect presence at hotel bars)  
- Birmingham Public Libraries (record checks for suspect names)

MLK Declassified Files

44-bh-1740_729219_04-01-part_4_of_5.pdf

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