</s>PAGE TWO ACCORDING TO MR. HOOVER, A 30.06 RIFLE EQUIPPED WITH A TELESCOPIC SIGHT WAS FOUND NEAR A ROOMING HOUSE ON SOUTH MAIN STREET IN MEMPHIS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FATAL SHOOTING OF DR. KING COURCURED. THE ROoming HOUSE OVERLOOKS THE LORRAINE HOTEL AND HOTEL WHERE DR. KING WAS STAYING, MR. HOODER SAID THAT FBI ACENTS DETERMINED THAT THE 30. 06 I FIFLE HIFLE BEEN PURCHASED FROM A GUN DEALER IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ON MARCH 30, 1968. THE TELESCOOPIC SIGHT ALSO WAS PURCHASED FROM THIS DEALERT, THE TESLESCOPE THE FBI DIRECTOR SAID THIS CALIT, WHO HAS USED THE NAMES OF JOHN WILLARD AND HARVEY LOWER IN THE PAST, IS THE OWNER OF A 1966 WHITE MUSIC BEARVEY BEARING ALABAMIA LICENSE PLATES OWNER WAS LOCATED ABANDONED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, GEORGE, ON APRIL 11, 1968. INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT GALT PURCHased THIS CAR FROM A PRIVATE CITIZEN THAT GALT PURCHASHED THIS CAR MUSTANG'S OOMETER SHOWER IN BIRMINGHAM THAT IT HAD BEEN DRIVEN MORE THAN 19,000 MILES BETWEEN LATE AUGUST, 1967, AND EARLY APRIL, 1966. ACCORDINO TO MR." HOOver, GALT'S TRAVELS IN THE MUSTANS INCLUDED TRIPS TO LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA; NEW ORLE.NS, LOUISIANA; BIRMINGHAM, ALABABA, ALBAMA; AND MEXICO, AS WELL AS TO MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, AND ATLANIA; GEORGIIA. GALT WAS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN IN MEMPHS ON AFRIL 3 AND 4, 1968, AND TO HAVE DEPARTED FROM THERE FOR ATLANLA. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The document outlines FBI investigative efforts into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on Eric Starvo Galt, a suspect linked to the procurement and use of a 30.06 rifle with a telescopic sight found near the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, shortly after MLK’s death on April 4, 1968. The rifle was purchased from a Birmingham, Alabama, gun dealer on March 30, 1968, and connected to Galt, who owned a white 1966 Mustang with Alabama license plates (license #3-13993). Galt’s travel records indicated visits to Memphis, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Mexico, and Atlanta between August 1967 and April 1968. Described as a white male approximately 5'8"–5'11", weighing 160–175 pounds, with brown hair in a "brush" cut, blue eyes, and a nervous habit of pulling at his left ear lobe, Galt was deemed armed and dangerous. The FBI also investigated Harold H. Fletcher, whose composite photo matched the assassin’s description, noting his stay at the Briarcliff Hotel in Atlanta (April 7–9, 1968) and prior arrests for Prohibition violations. Other individuals under scrutiny included J.B. Richardson, Donald L. Lommeier (a U.S. Marine Corps captain with Vietnam service), and Robert Franklin Williams, a fugitive with a criminal record including assault charges. The investigation also referenced administrative records, vehicle registrations, and unrelated inquiries into Chester C. Barfield, William Jennings Bryan Lee, and other suspects.  

Key People  
- **Eric Starvo Galt**: Suspected owner of the 30.06 rifle; linked to the abandoned Mustang in Atlanta and travel between Alabama, Memphis, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Mexico, and Atlanta. Used aliases John Willard and Harvey Lower.  
- **Harold H. Fletcher**: Matched the assassin’s composite photo; stayed at Briarcliff Hotel in Atlanta (April 7–9, 1968); had prior arrests for Prohibition violations.  
- **Donald L. Lommeier**: U.S. Marine Corps captain investigated for potential ties to the case; military records reviewed for Vietnam service and addresses in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and Lincoln, Nebraska.  
- **Robert Franklin Williams**: Fugitive with a criminal record including assault charges; described as 5'9", 175 lbs, welder/used car salesman; family members include John N. Rotte-Lillington (father), Earl Williams (brother), and Ruth Howard (wife).  
- **Chester C. Barfield**: Employed by Linen Thread Company in Blue Mountain, Alabama; under investigation for potential involvement in MLK’s assassination.  
- **William Jennings Bryan Lee**: Subject of criminal record checks and motor vehicle registration inquiries.  

Key Locations  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Site of the Lorraine Hotel where MLK stayed; rooming house near which the 30.06 rifle was found.  
- **Birmingham, Alabama**: Gun dealer linked to the rifle purchase (March 30, 1968) and Galt’s Mustang ownership.  
- **Atlanta, Georgia**: Briarcliff Hotel where Fletcher stayed; location of Galt’s abandoned Mustang.  
- **Jacksonville, North Carolina**: Address for Donald Lommeier’s wife and military records.  
- **Lincoln, Nebraska**: Address listed for Donald Lommeier’s family.  
- **Greensboro, North Carolina**: Site of Talley Laundry Machinery Company; referenced in textile marking machine investigations.  

Key Events  
- **April 4, 1968**: Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.  
- **March 30, 1968**: Purchase of the 30.06 rifle with telescopic sight from a Birmingham gun dealer.  
- **April 1–3, 1968**: J.B. Richardson’s stay at a Memphis motel (NC license DV4001).  
- **April 7–9, 1968**: Fletcher’s stay at Briarcliff Hotel in Atlanta.  
- **April 11, 1968**: Abandonment of Galt’s Mustang in Atlanta; FBI investigation into its VIN (670(C1)90647).  
- **April 17, 1968**: FBI press release identifying Galt as a fugitive and detailing conspiracy charges under Title 13, Section 241.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted the primary investigation into Galt, Fletcher, Lommeier, and other suspects; issued press releases and photographs for public identification.  
- **U.S. Marine Corps**: Involved in Donald Lommeier’s background check.  
- **North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)**: Provided vehicle registration information on Galt and Richardson.  
- **Textile Marking Machine Company**: Sold a marking machine (serial number 34341) to Talley Laundry Machinery Company in Greensboro, North Carolina; referenced in FBI inquiries.  
- **Local laundromats in Winston-Salem, Mt. Airy, and Dobson, North Carolina**: Surveyed regarding thermal seal machines used for laundry tags.

MLK Declassified Files

44-ce-1365_738554_04-02-part_5_of_8.pdf

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