</s>FBI NEW YORK FBI BIRMGHAM 644PM URGENT 4-20-68 HEP TO DIRECTOR, NEW YORK, MEMPHIS FROM BIRMINGHAM (44-1740) 1P MURKIN RE NEW YORK TELCALL AND TELETYPE THIS DATE. MRS. JEAN VERONN, ONE FIVE FIVE SIX BESSEMER HIGHWAY. - MRS ., JEANS. ALABAMA, IDENTIFIED AS SISTER OF MRS. DORIS CRAWFORD, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMAS, IDENIFIED AS BIRIMGHAM, AND AS EX-WIFE OF JAMES FIVE FOR FIVE MARTIN STREET, BIRINGHAM. AND AS EX-WIFE OF JAMES PITTSFORD LAY. REPEAT LAY ., LAY IS W.M. DOB OCTOBER NINE. TWENTYSEVEN, FAIRFIELD. ALBAMA. ALBABA. AND IS EMPLOYED AS MERCHANT MARINE ELECTRICIAN BY LYKES BROTHERS SHIPPING CONCEERN. HE PRESENTLY RESIDES WITH FOURTH WIFE AT FIVE Five TWO OSCELO CIRCLE. FAIRFIELD ., PHOTOS OF LAY AS FURNISHED BY VERNON NOT SIMILAR TO SUBJECT JAMES EARL RAY. EFFORTS TO LOCATE LAY TODAY NEGATIVE. LAY WILL BE CONTACTED AND INTERVIEWED WHEN AVAILABLE. ARMED AND DANGEROUS. 44-160923 END SEARCHED SEARCHERED IN/EX-CXED.A.Z. SEPARIZED FILLED. RPD FRI NEWYORK 1-2-NEW YOuR Shandleydunl 1.59p.wm. ShanleyDunl 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The document details FBI investigations into James Earl Ray’s movements and potential involvement in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which occurred on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Ray, also known as Eric Starvo Galt, was identified through fingerprint analysis as a fugitive with a criminal history including burglary, armed robbery, and forgery. The FBI tracked him across multiple locations, noting his interactions with individuals such as Ronald Weisz and Gary Goodman at Port Columbus International Airport in Ohio on April 5, 1968. Ray’s attempts to flee via Greyhound bus were observed, and he was linked to a federal warrant issued in Birmingham, Alabama. The investigation also included reports of an anonymous caller describing a car with four men near the George Washington Bridge in New York, potentially connected to Ray. Additional records reference John Burns’ arrest in New York with firearms and his alleged statement about killing King (later recanted), as well as Paul Morgan’s information on potential associates.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (linked to MLK assassination; aliases include Eric Starvo Galt)  
- Ronald Weisz (17-year-old witness at Columbus Airport)  
- Gary Goodman (accomplice of Weisz; described suspect)  
- John Burns (arrested with firearms, claimed to have killed King)  
- Paul Morgan (provided details on potential associates of Ray)  
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (victim of assassination)  

Key Locations  
- Port Columbus International Airport (Ohio)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (site of MLK’s assassination)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (location of federal warrant issuance)  
- New York City (George Washington Bridge, Bronx, Brooklyn)  
- Cincinnati, Ohio (Holiday Inn where men were observed)  
- Jefferson City, Missouri (Ray’s 1967 armed robbery conviction)  

Key Events  
- Observation of an unknown male at Port Columbus Airport interacting with Weisz and Goodman (April 5, 1968)  
- FBI fingerprint analysis confirming Ray and Eric Starvo Galt are the same individual  
- Ray’s addition to the FBI’s "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list  
- John Burns’ arrest in New York with firearms and his alleged statement about killing King (recanted)  
- Anonymous caller reporting a car with four men near George Washington Bridge (April 17, 1968)  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- U.S. Department of Justice  
- Nassau County Police Department (New York)  
- Port Authority Police (New York)

MLK Declassified Files

44-ny-1609_sec_002_ser_135-345-part_4_of_8.pdf

Document Summary

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