</s>EP 157-186 SUSPECT - UNIDENTIFED LED MAN OBSERVED ON HIGHWAY HEADED FOR NEW MEXICO ON APRIL 18, 1968, WHO STRONGLY RESERVEBLED ERIC STARVO GALT AT EL PASO, TEXAS On April 18, 1968, at about 1:30 p.m ., Mr. KOSE MATTHEWS, 1113 Cuba Street, telephonically advised ASAC JAY COCHAN, Jr ., Jr. as follows: MATHEWS had just been a red Chevrolet convertible, 1968 or 1964, bearing Alabama license plates number 19-96, which was proceeding west on Interstate Highway 10 toward New Mexico. MATHEWs followed this automobile for some deserves. MATTEWS followed this automotive for some two men. The driver of which "strongly resembled" suspect ERIC STARVO GALT, LATHEW'S had seen the photograph of GALT in the "El Paso Times" newspaper that morning along with a description of GALT and the press release issued by the "GALT" in the description of the press releases his identification of the individual in the above-mentioned automobile as strongly ressembling GALT on the information which had appeared in the newspaper. MATCHEWS was unable to obtain the complete license number of the automobile. 38 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on locating James Earl Ray, a suspect with prior convictions for robbery involving deadly weapons. Efforts spanned Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico, including checks at El Paso, Pecos, Midland, Odessa, and Juarez. Key activities included tracking license plates, investigating stolen vehicles with Georgia plates, examining laundry markings (Thermo-Seal machines), and cross-referencing witness sightings of individuals resembling Ray or Eric Starvo Galt. Reports noted discrepancies in suspect identifications, such as a 1968 Texas license plate linked to Lon R. Hummel, who was described as not matching James Earl Ray’s appearance. A 1967 Georgia-licensed Oldsmobile was impounded in El Paso on April 20, 1968, but no stolen vehicles were confirmed recovered during the specified period.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray** (suspect in MLK Jr.’s assassination; convicted of robbery with a deadly weapon in 1966)  
- **Eric Starvo Galt** (also known as James Earl Ray; subject of witness sightings and license plate checks)  
- **Lon R. Hummel** (linked to a Texas license plate and employment at Crown Plastics Products, Inc.)  
- **Shelby Gene Baldridge** (wife reported contact with someone named "EARL" in Florida)  
- **Kose Matthews** (reported sighting of a red Chevrolet convertible resembling Eric Starvo Galt on April 18, 1968)  
- **Stayner Dugan** (Midland, Texas; provided information about family connections to names like "Gala")  
- **Glenn B. Gugan** (father of Stayner Dugan; connected to a family tree involving Eric Stavio Galt and Fenn Truckenmiller)  
- **David J. Reid**, **Wallace A. Crossion**, **Francis J. Praser**, **John R. Maurer**, **Paul D. Sodal**, **Robert B. Lyons**, **John J. Gorman**, **Richard H. Picken** (FBI agents involved in field investigations)  
- **SA JOHN J. GORIAN**, **Sheriff Dan SAUNDENS**, **Chief of Police JAKS BRUTON**, **Deputy Sheriff JAMES SULLIVAN**, **Chief for Police STANLEY HARRISON**, **Sheriff CRNE EKOLKS**, **Chief of Police CARL LOCKER**, **Sheriff RAY WEATHERY**, **Chief of Police JOHNY LANDIS**, **Chief Deputy SHERIFF GUY FLETCHER**, **Officer WILLIAM STRIELING**, **SA JOHN R. MAUREN**, **SA DONN K. SICKLES**, **SA RICHARD H. PICKEN**, **SA RICHART B. SJODAL** (law enforcement personnel involved in investigations)  

Key Locations  
- **El Paso, Texas** (Paradise Lounge, Aztec Bar, Fort Bliss; impoundment of Georgia-licensed Oldsmobile)  
- **New Mexico** (border areas, White Sands Missile Range)  
- **Pecos, Texas**, **Midland, Texas**, **Odessa, Texas**, **Fort Stockton, Texas**, **Crane County, Texas**, **McCamey, Texas**, **Rankin, Texas**  
- **Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico** (Mexican Immigration Service, Customs Service)  
- **Georgia** (license plates referenced in stolen vehicle inquiries)  

Key Events  
- **April 18, 1968**: Sighting of a red Chevrolet convertible with Alabama license plates resembling Eric Starvo Galt on Interstate Highway 10.  
- **April 21–23, 1968**: Multiple sightings of individuals matching James Earl Ray or Eric Starvo Galt in El Paso bars (Paradise Lounge, Aztec Bar).  
- **April 6, 1968**: Lon R. Hummel departed El Paso with a white Ford Bronco and license plates linked to his employment at Crown Plastics Products, Inc.  
- **April 20, 1968**: Impoundment of a 1967 Georgia-licensed Oldsmobile in El Paso, Texas, containing Georgia license plates.  
- **May 1–6, 1968**: FBI investigations into American Airlines Flight 338 passengers for potential sightings of the suspect.  
- **April 15–24, 1968**: Law enforcement inquiries into stolen vehicles with Georgia license plates recovered in Texas and Mexico.  
- **April 24–29, 1968**: Follow-up investigations confirming no stolen vehicles with Georgia plates were recovered during the specified period.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**  
- **United States Border Patrol** (Marfa, El Paso sectors)  
- **Texas Department of Public Safety** (Dispatcher Weyland Coffey)  
- **Mexican Immigration Service** (Ojinga, Chihuahua)  
- **Mexican Customs Service** (Juarez, Chihuahua)  
- **El Paso County Sheriff’s Office**, **Odessa, Texas Police Department**, **Pecos County Sheriff’s Office**, **Upton County Sheriff’s Office**  
- **Chihuahuan State Traffic Department**  
- **Local police departments** (Midland, Fort Stockton, Rankin, McCamey, Crane)  
- **Credit bureaus and tax offices in Texas**  
- **Laundries and dance studios investigated for potential connections to suspects or evidence**

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_15-02-part_2_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

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