</s>ME 44-1987 Samples of the Thermo Seal marking machine, SN 31454, Model RH-5K1, in possession of the Home Service Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company. 5280 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Los Angeles, CA. 02B-6 on red colored tape, was used forwards to the FBI Laboratory. This machine was used in this laundry tape, were machine was to use in this laundry between The FBI Laboratory advised that the specimens from the FBI Seal marking machine. SN 13454, are similar to the laundry tapes. and are similar, and the laundry tape. color, construction, and composition. Five of these tapes have the same length (1/16/16) and these tapes are the same lengths (1) and 1/16). The other 9 are longer, either 1/32/2" or 1/8" or 2/8". in length. These tapes submitted by Los Angels are of varying lengths; however, no Angels have the following lengths: however, the T-short and shorty laundry tapes when compared with some of the specimens submitted by Los Angeles indicating that they may have by the Los Angeles department of the police department. The bullet removed from the victim KING was examined by the FBI Laboratories who determined that it is a .30 caliber metal-jacketed "soft point" sporting type bullet of Remington - point" Sporting type bullet from Remington fired from the recovered Remington 30-30-06 rifle. The bullet has been distorted due to mutilation and insufficient marks of due to mutation and insufficient markings of Therefore, it was was not possible to determine whether or not, the bullet removed to the Remington rifle fired from the recovery Remington riff: fired from a recovered JAMES EARL RAY. 4/5/68 An unknown white male at about 8:30 A.M. on Friday, April 5, 1968, parked 8:00 AM. on Mustang bearing Alabama license 1-38993 in the parking lot of Capitol Homes, a in the public housing project in Atlanta, Georgia. 36 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The document details forensic analysis of evidence linked to Martin Luther King Jr.'s (MLK) assassination, including a .30 caliber Remington bullet recovered from MLK and examined by the FBI Laboratory. The bullet was identified as a "soft point" sporting type fired from a Remington 30-30-06 rifle, though trace analysis was limited due to distortion. Laundry items found at the crime scene were compared to specimens from the Home Service Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company in Los Angeles, showing similarities in color, construction, and composition. A Mustang parked near Capitol Homes in Atlanta on April 5, 1968, contained laundry items with markings (20R-3) and fibers matching a bedspread found at the scene. James Earl Ray was identified as a suspect; his movements on April 5 included parking near Capitol Homes with an Alabama license plate. Handwriting analysis linked Ray to documents, including a letter dated October 24, 1966, and items attributed to Eric S. Galt. Ray’s prison records from Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) and Illinois State Penitentiary mention interactions with inmates, drug use (amphetamine), and statements about MLK, including remarks linking him to an organization offering $10,000 for his death. Ray’s family members and prison associates are detailed, with some describing his behavior and alleged escape plans.  

Key People  
- Martin Luther King Jr. (victim)  
- James Earl Ray (suspect; linked to laundry evidence, prison records, and statements about MLK)  
- Eric S. Galt (linked to handwriting analysis and travel connections)  
- John F. Kennedy (mentioned in Ray’s statements)  
- Rita Stein, Charles J. Stein, Marie Martin (associated with GALT’s 1967–1968 travels and political party registration)  
- Jerome Wallis Vernon (owner of Home Service Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company; linked to laundry evidence)  
- Inmates at Missouri State Penitentiary and other facilities: Thomas Beecher Crews, Raymond Louis Curtis, George Ben Edmondson, Melvin Oliver Gridley, James Fletcher, Kenneth Lee Wade, Charles Calvin Bookman  

Key Locations  
- Capitol Homes, Atlanta, Georgia (parking location on April 5, 1968)  
- Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP), Illinois State Penitentiary, Florida State Prison, Alabama (prison locations)  
- Los Angeles, California; Birmingham, Alabama; St. Louis, Missouri (residences and crime scene connections)  
- New Orleans, Louisiana (GALT’s travel destination; motel near Charter Street)  
- Upland, California (Vernon’s dry-cleaning business)  
- Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico (routes taken by GALT during travels)  

Key Events  
- Forensic analysis of bullet and laundry evidence from MLK’s assassination  
- James Earl Ray’s movements on April 5, 1968, and connection to the crime scene  
- Handwriting comparisons linking Ray to documents and Eric S. Galt  
- Prison records detailing Ray’s interactions, drug use, and statements about MLK  
- Investigation into Ray’s family and associates for potential connections  
- GALT’s travel through southern states with Stein and Marie Martin (December 1967)  
- Registration for George Wallace’s political party in California as a condition for GALT’s trip to New Orleans  
- Vernon’s identification of laundry items from GALT as matching those found near the assassination scene  

Key Organizations  
- FBI Laboratory (forensic analysis)  
- Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP), Illinois State Penitentiary, Florida State Prison (prison systems)  
- Home Service Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company, Avalon Cleaners and Laundry (laundry services linked to evidence)  
- George Wallace’s political party (involved in registration process)

MLK Declassified Files

44-rh-657_sec_004_ser_233-294-part_5_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

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