</s>Case Number: 44-CI-0 Serial(s): 1362 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary: The document outlines FBI directives to field offices regarding handling inquiries about a civil suit filed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s family concerning conspiracy claims related to his 1968 assassination. It references an inquiry authorized in 1996/1998 following Corretta Scott King's appeal to President Clinton, which led to an investigation by the Shelby County Prosecutor's Office. The office concluded no credible evidence supported conspiracy allegations. A wrongful death suit was filed in October 1988 against the Department of Justice, though no government branch was held liable. The FBI was instructed to direct inquiries about the case to its Hate Crimes Unit and the DOJ Civil Rights Division, with contact details provided.  

Key People: Corretta Scott King (Dr. King's widow), Attorney General Reno, Lloyd Owens (alleged shooter), Shelby County Prosecutor's Office investigators, DOJ Civil Rights Division (Attorney Kowalski).  

Key Locations: Shelby County, Tennessee; Washington, D.C. (DOJ offices); FBI field offices.  

Key Events: Authorization of conspiracy inquiry into Dr. King's assassination (1996/1998), Shelby County Prosecutor's Office investigation (1998), filing of wrongful death suit by the King family (October 1988), FBI directive to handle inquiries about the case.  

Key Organizations: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division, Shelby County Prosecutor's Office.

MLK Declassified Files

44-ci-0_sec_000_ser_1362.pdf

Document Summary

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