</s>FEDERA' BUREAU OF INV STIGATION REPORTING OFFICE OFFICE OF ORIGIN MEMPHIS DATE INVESTIGATIVE PERIGOO TITLE OF CASE 6/5/68 4/4-5/31/68 REPORT MADE BY TYRID BY JAMES EARL RAY, a.e. ERic Starvo G.A.V. SA JOB C. HESTER CHARACTER OF CASE W. C. Horron, W. H. W. Hatton, James McBride, CR - CONSPIRACY; James O'Connor, UFAC - ROBBERY James Wallton John Willard. 17 - MARTIN FUGITIVE DR. 442-A1. DR. MART IN LUTHER KING, JR. - VICTIM NON-PROSECUTIVE SUMMARY REFERENCES: Reports of SA JOE C. HESTER dated 4/17/68 and 4/30/68 at Memphis. -P- THIS REPORT HAS BEEN PREPARED AS AN INVESTIGATE AID AND SHOULD NOT BE DISEASATED AS NO ATTEMPTED AS THEY HAS BEER MADE TO CONCEL THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION THAT WAS FURNISHED CONFIDENTIALTY. ALL OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN REPORTED. APPROVED SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE COFFEE MADE DO NOT WRITE IN SPACES BELOW 9 - Bureau (44-38861) 2 - All offices 5 - Memphis (44 -1987) SEARCHED INDEXED SERIALIZED JUNE 1968 FBI-CHARLOTTE Charlotte OF-WMS OA PROPERTY OF FBI-This report is loaned to you by the FBI, and neither it nor its contents are to be distributed outside the agency to which leased 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary: The document contains fragmented FBI investigative records related to James Earl Ray (FBI #405) and Eric Galt, a potential alias or associate. It details financial transactions, hotel registrations, vehicle ownership (a 1966 white Mustang with Alabama plates), and interactions with Dr. Mark Freeman (Beverly Hills psychiatrist) and Charles J. Stein (Los Angeles resident). Redacted sections suggest sensitive information was removed. The text links Ray to the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., citing forensic evidence such as a Remington Game Master rifle (serial number 461476), Bushnell binoculars (SN DQ408644), and a Channel Master radio (Model #6500) with scratches matching Ray’s Missouri State Penitentiary inmate number (00416). Laundry tags from Home Service Laundry (SN 31454, Model RH-5K1) showed markings like "028-6," connecting Ray to the crime scene. Witness accounts mention a white Mustang parked near Capitol Homes in Atlanta after the assassination. The text also references forensic analysis of bed linen with laundry mark 2013-3 found in an abandoned Mustang, comparisons of handwriting between Ray’s documents and evidence, and prison interactions involving Ray and associates like Richard Beeman, Julius Maurice Block, Joseph Adams, Leo Barnett, and Billy Niles.  

Key People:  
- **James Earl Ray** (FBI #405): Primary suspect linked to MLK Jr.’s assassination via forensic evidence, including fingerprints, weapons, and personal items.  
- **Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.**: Victim of the 1968 assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.  
- **Dr. Mark Freeman**: Beverly Hills psychiatrist with whom Ray interacted.  
- **Charles J. Stein**: Los Angeles resident associated with Ray’s activities.  
- **John Larry Ray, Jerry William Ray, Carol Pepper, Melba Marie Ryan**: Family members of James Earl Ray.  
- **Richard Beeman, Julius Maurice Block, Joseph Adams, Leo Barnett, Billy Niles**: Prison associates of Ray and other inmates.  

Key Locations:  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Site of MLK Jr.’s assassination at the Lorraine Motel.  
- **Alton, Illinois**: Birthplace of James Earl Ray.  
- **St. Louis, Missouri**: Residences of Ray’s family members.  
- **Quincy, Illinois**: Residence of Ray’s stepmother, Ruby Carpenter.  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary**: Prison facility where Ray and associates were incarcerated.  
- **Illinois State Penitentiary**: Mentioned in association with Joseph Adams.  
- **Florida State Prison**: Associated with Leo Barnett.  
- **New York State Penitentiary**: Linked to Billy Niles.  

Key Events:  
- **1968 Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.**: Occurred on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.  
- **Forensic Analysis**: Examination of a Remington rifle, binoculars, radio, and laundry tags to link Ray to the crime scene.  
- **Surveillance Activities**: FBI tracking of Ray’s financial transactions, hotel stays, and vehicle ownership (white Mustang).  
- **Prison Interactions**: Documentation of Ray’s associations with inmates like Richard Beeman and Joseph Adams, including substance use (amphetamines) and alleged escape attempts in 1967.  
- **Witness Accounts**: Reports of a white Mustang parked near Capitol Homes in Atlanta following the assassination.  

Key Organizations:  
- **FBI Laboratory**: Conducted handwriting analysis and forensic comparisons between Ray’s documents and evidence from the case.  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary, Illinois State Penitentiary, Florida State Prison, New York State Penitentiary**: Facilities where Ray and associates were incarcerated.

MLK Declassified Files

44-ce-1365_738554_05-02-part_1_of_4.pdf

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