</s>F.O .: 248 (NEV. 4:13-60) H. S. Department of Justice (MATERIAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THIS FILE) VOL. 1.4-1414-1 10024563 S3A3A8H4H9A1Y1Y9A9Y1H HISTORICAL VALUE NATIONAL ARCHIVES FEDERAL BUREAU DO NOT DESTROY ENTIRE FILE REVIEWED HISTORKCAL VALUE of FOR HISTORICIAL DECLASSIFICATION Sers. INVESTIGATION - Bureau File Number 44-3886/ Volume Number: DO NOT DESTROY - PRESERVE FOR SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS See also No. DO NOTDESTROY - A4t PENDING LITIGATION 10g115 ENTIRE FILTE REVIEWed FOR HISTORYICAL DECLASSIFCIATION C I.L. INFORMATION CONTAINED I.I.INFORNATION IS UNCLAS SIFFERENCE DATE NO. BYS.D.PUK.K.T. L.I .- 141451 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents consist of multiple FBI FD-302 forms from April 1968 detailing witness accounts related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Statements were collected from residents of a rooming house at 422 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee, including Frank Brewer, Howard Bonnie Vance, J.L. Messer, Frank H. Marley, Harold Carter, and Alfred W. Eaton. Witnesses described hearing a loud noise around 6:00 p.m., initially mistaken for a firecracker or extinguisher. Some reported seeing individuals fleeing the area, police activity, and a man with a gun. One witness (Frank Brewer) noted a uniformed officer pointing toward the northeast corner of the building. Another (Alfred Eaton) claimed to have seen someone covering up a body across the street. The documents also mention John Willard, though no record of him residing at the address prior to April 4 was found.  

Key People:  
- Frank Brewer (landlord’s husband, witness to events)  
- Howard Bonnie Vance (resided nearby, claimed intoxication)  
- J.L. Mess, a deaf tenant who learned about the death on April 5  
- Frank H. Marley (tenant, provided conflicting accounts of events)  
- Harold Carter (witness who stayed in his room after hearing the shot)  
- Alfred W. Eaton (claimed to have seen someone covering a body)  
- John Willard (mentioned as a potential suspect, no prior record at address)  

Key Locations:  
- 422 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee (rooming house)  
- Lorraine Hotel (implied in witness accounts)  
- Mulberry Street (building facing this street)  
- Backyard of the rooming house  
- Northeast corner of the building  

Key Events:  
- Loud noise heard around 6:00 p.m. on April 4, 1968, initially mistaken for a firecracker or extinguisher.  
- Witnesses reported people yelling and police arriving at the scene.  
- A uniformed officer (possibly from the sheriff’s office) pointed toward the northeast corner of the building.  
- Alfred Eaton claimed to have seen someone covering up a body across the street.  
- John Willard was mentioned as a potential suspect, though no prior record of him residing at the address existed.  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Memphis Police Department (implied through references to officers and police activity)

MLK Declassified Files

44-la-1574_742142_008-06-part_1_of_4.pdf

Document Summary

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