</s>1. S. Department of Justice SERIALS 2322 ONLY 44-HO-88981 MATERIAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THI MATERIAE MUST NOT be REMOVEO FROM OR ADDED TO THIS ENTIRE PLE REVIEWED FOR HISTORICAL DECLASSIFICATION FEDERAL BUREAU STATION 20 ATTENTION BEFORE CHANGING CLASSIFICATION OR PROCESSING ANY DOCUMENT SERIAL 3222. CINY DO NOT DESTROY FROM THIS FILE FOR RELEASE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, CONTACT HISTORICIAL VALUE NATIONAL CHICAGO FOI/PA SECTION UNIT D, EXT. 5767. #FI/PA/DOJ COPIED FOR FOIPA REQUESTED BY WELCOME USE CARE-IN-HANDBLING THIS FILE ALLINFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS UNCLASSIFIED DATE 10/10/21/21 Transfer-Call 3421 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail witness accounts of events surrounding the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Mrs. Dessie Ruth Brewer, a landlord at 422 South Main Street, reported receiving suspicious mail postmarked April 7, 1968, from Niagara Falls, New York, and Des Moines, Iowa, including threats referencing her as operating a "flop house." A tenant named John Willard was described as a white male in his early to mid-30s, clean-shaven, with a distinctive demeanor, present at the rooming house around 6:00 PM. Room 5-B, where King stayed, had a window facing the Lorraine Motel, and its chest of drawers were noted as potentially visible from outside. Witness accounts describe a white male suspect in a dark suit, entering Room 5-B multiple times before exiting with a wrapped package after gunfire was heard around 6:00 PM. Law enforcement reports indicate police activity near the Lorraine Hotel and the rooming house, though no direct link to MLK’s assassination was established at the time.  

Key People:  
- Mrs. Dessie Ruth Brewer (landlord of the rooming house)  
- John Willard (tenant described as present during the incident)  
- Charles Stephens (roommate who observed suspect activity)  
- Mrs. Grace Hayes Stephens (witness to gunfire and police response)  
- Willis Anchutz (noted suspect movement through the hallway)  
- Deetie L. Reeves (tenant who saw a man exiting the building)  
- Frank Brewer (tenant with no prior tenant record for Room 5B)  
- Mr. VANCE (intoxicated tenant with no recollection of events)  
- Mr. MESSER (deaf tenant unaware of disturbances)  

Key Locations:  
- 422 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee (rooming house)  
- Lorraine Hotel (location of MLK’s assassination)  
- Northeast corner of the rooming house (indicated as potential shot location)  
- Room 5-B (King’s lodging; described with a visible chest of drawers)  

Key Events:  
- Receipt of suspicious mail by Mrs. Brewer postmarked April 7, 1968, including threats  
- John Willard’s presence at the rooming house around 6:00 PM  
- Gunshot heard near Room 5-B around 6:00 PM  
- Suspect exiting with a wrapped package and running toward the front of the building  
- Police response to the Lorraine Hotel and rooming house area  
- Witness accounts of suspect description (white male, dark suit, 5'10", 165 lbs)  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Local Memphis law enforcement (including officers at the rooming house and near the Lorraine Hotel)

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_06-04-part_1_of_4.pdf

Document Summary

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