</s>FEDERA' BUREAU OF INV.STIGATION . . . FEDERAT BUREA'Bureau OF INV. STIGATION PORTFORTING OFFICE OFFICE OF ORIGIN DATE: MEMPHUS OFFICE OFFICE OF ORIGIN MEMPHS 6/5/68 INVESTIGATIVE PERIOD 4/4-5/31/68 TITLE OF CASE REPORT MADE BY TYVED BY JAMES BARL RAY, aka 6/6/68 4/ 4-5 /31/66 REPORT MADED BY JAMES STARVO-Gait, aka SA JOE C. HESTER TYVFD BY Eric Starvo-Galt, CHARACTER OF CASE mmx Harvey Lowyer, W. H. Starrone, CHARACTE OF CASE Harvey Lowe, James McBritton, CHR - CONSPIRACY; James O'Connor, UFAC - ROBBERY James O.Connor, James Walter, James W. Walton, John Willard, James Waltons, J.W. W.Waltons J.M. J.F.J. WF #442-A; DR. MARTIN LUTUTHER KING, JR ., JR. - VICTIN NON-PROSECUTIVE SUMMARY REFERENCES: Reports of SA JOE G. HESTER dated 4/17/68 and 4/30/68 at Memphis. -P- - THIS REPORT HAS BEEN PREPARED AS AN INVESTIGATIVE AID AND SHOULD NOT BE DISSEMINATED AS NO ATTEMPTED HAS BEEM MADE TO CONCALL THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION THAT WAS FURNISHED CONIDENTALLY. ALL OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN REPORTED. APPROVED SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE DO NOT WRITE IN SPACES BELOW COPIES MADE: 9 - Bureau (44-38861) SEARCHED - All offices <loc_223><loc_737>5 - Memphis (44 -1987) SEPARALED 5- 5-Memphis (44'-1987) INDEXED <loc_663><loc_756><loc_663><loc_770><loc_577><loc_770>-

Summary: This document details an FBI investigation into James Earl Ray’s activities during the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It outlines forensic evidence linking Ray to the crime scene, including latent fingerprints on items recovered from a white Mustang found near the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The car contained a Remington Game Master rifle (Model 760, SN 461476), Bushnell binoculars (SN DQ406864), and other items with forensic connections to Ray. A laundry tag bearing the code "02B-6" was found on clothing in the Mustang, matching tags from the Home Service Laundry & Dry Cleaning Company in Los Angeles, which was linked to a customer named "GALT." The FBI’s analysis of handwriting and typewriter usage suggested potential ties between Ray and Galt. While Ray was convicted of the assassination, the document raises unresolved questions about his movements, possible aliases, and connections to other individuals.  

Key People:  
- **James Earl Ray** (primary suspect; fingerprint matches found at crime scene)  
- **Eric Starvo Galt** (linked to Ray through documents, handwriting analysis, and travel patterns)  
- **Vernon Dahmer** (witness who identified Ray as the buyer of binoculars in Memphis)  
- **Jimmy Delton Garner** (rooming house operator in Atlanta who rented a room to "GALT")  
- **Carol Pepper** (sister of James Earl Ray; owner of Lougravine Tavern)  
- **Melba Marie Ryan** (sister of Ray; recipient of disability pension)  
- **Ruby Carpenter** (stepmother of Ray; resided in Quincy, Illinois)  

Key Locations:  
- **Memphis, Tennessee** (scene of MLK’s assassination at the Lorraine Motel)  
- **Birmingham, Alabama** (location of rifle purchase by Ray)  
- **Atlanta, Georgia** (where the white Mustang was found on April 5, 1968)  
- **Los Angeles, California** (Home Service Laundry & Dry Cleaning Company linked to laundry tags)  
- **Alton, Illinois** (birthplace of James Earl Ray)  
- **St. Louis, Missouri** (residence of Ray’s relatives; location of Lougravine Tavern)  

Key Events:  
- **April 4, 1968:** Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.  
- **April 5, 1968:** White Mustang with Alabama license plate 1-3899-3 discovered in Atlanta, Georgia; items recovered included a Remington rifle and laundry tags linked to the Home Service Laundry.  
- **FBI analysis of handwriting** on documents attributed to Ray or Galt suggested potential identity overlap.  
- **Laundry tag matching:** Tags from the crime scene matched those used by the Home Service Laundry in Los Angeles, tied to customer "GALT."  
- **Rifle purchase:** Ray bought a Remington Model 760 rifle (SN 461616) in Birmingham, Alabama.  

Key Organizations:  
- **FBI** (conducted forensic analysis of fingerprints, handwriting, and documents)  
- **Home Service Laundry & Dry Cleaning Company** (linked to laundry tags found at the crime scene)  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary** (Ray’s incarceration history; prison associates included Richard Beaman, Julius Maurice Block, Joseph Adams, and Leo Barnett)  
- **Illinois State Penitentiary**  
- **Indiana State Penitentiary**  
- **U.S. Probation Office** (involved in obtaining documents related to Ray’s criminal history)

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_65-03-part_4_of_6.pdf

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