Reno Orders Limited Review of King Assassination

Reno Orders Limited Review of King Assassination

WASHINGTON (August 26, 1998 3:55 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) -- Attorney General Janet Reno on Wednesday ordered a limited Justice Department review of the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

"We hope this review will provide answers to new questions that have been raised about a tragedy that still haunts our nation," Reno said in a brief written announcement. She promised a report on the findings.

"The evidence gathered by the inquiry will be followed wherever it may lead," the Justice Department announcement said. But it cautioned that, even if proved true, some allegations may not be prosecutable because federal statutes of limitations may have lapsed.

The review is more limited than the national commission sought by the King family, whose members have expressed doubts about the official version that James Earl Ray, acting alone, shot King on the balcony of a Memphis, Tenn., motel April 4, 1968.

A one-page announcement by the Justice Department said the review would examine two new allegations not covered by the previous federal inquiries that blamed the assassination on Ray.

The allegations to be reviewed include those by former Memphis bar owner Lloyd Jowers and former FBI agent Donald Wilson, both of whom suggested there may have been a conspiracy involving people besides Ray. Justice officials said the review would begin with only these two allegations but would follow any leads that develop into other areas.

In March, after 30 years of silence, Wilson said that after the assassination, he took papers from Ray's car that support claims of a conspiracy. Wilson, who worked in the FBI's Atlanta office in 1968, claimed to have found an envelope containing two pieces of paper with the name "Raul" written on them.

Ray died in prison this year serving a sentence for killing King, but he had long ago disavowed his initial confession and spent years futilely seeking a new trial. Ray contended he was set up by a shadowy gunrunner named Raoul, a man whose existence has never been verified. The FBI discounted Wilson's story.

In 1968, Jowers ran Jim's Grill, a cafe across the street from The Lorraine motel where King stayed and a few doors down from the rooming house where authorities say the fatal shot was fired.

Jowers claimed on ABC's "PrimeTime Live" in 1993 that he hired King's killer and it was not Ray. The killing, he said, was arranged by a now-deceased Memphis produce dealer with reputed ties to organized crime.

Jowers has refused further comment since the TV broadcast, and his lawyer says he has moved out of state. Last spring, the Memphis prosecutor issued a report saying he could find no evidence linking Jowers to the murder.

Reno acted after extensive consultations with the King family. She said she wanted to be sure they had an opportunity to offer any suggestions for improving her plan.

King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and son Dexter had appealed directly to Reno and President Clinton earlier this year for a national commission with power to grant immunity in return for truthful testimony about the assassination.

When word of the limited review first leaked earlier this summer, Coretta Scott King's other son, Martin Luther King III, gave an instant assessment.

"If the attorney general does in fact approve a limited investigation, that's a good first start," he said. "That's certainly not what we as a family would have hoped for.

"Ultimately, I don't think that we can leave any stones unturned," he said. "I believe that this nation will be better for addressing the truth in this case, which I just feel has not been addressed this far."

At her meeting with Reno, Coretta Scott King turned over allegations and evidence that had come to her attention in recent years.

"I hope this inquiry will open a wider investigation of all pertinent leads," King said informed of the decision. "When this is accomplished, our family and the American people will at last have the satisfaction that all relevant evidence has been fully examined."

A seven-month investigation by Memphis District Attorney General Bill Gibbons concluded this spring that there was no evidence anyone other than Ray assassinated King. A 1977-78 investigation by the House Select Committee on Assassinations also determined Ray was the killer.

The Kings are skeptical of the role of the FBI, which also insists Ray acted alone.

In the 1960s, the FBI under Director J. Edgar Hoover secretly harassed and spied on King and other civil rights leaders. The FBI campaign, disclosed years later, included sending letters and tapes to Coretta Scott King in an attempt to discredit her husband.

The new Justice review will be conducted by the civil rights division with support from the criminal division. The lead attorney in the review will be Barry Kowalski, who successfully prosecuted the Los Angeles police officers who beat black motorist Rodney King in an episode caught on a video camera by a bystander.

In an effort to eliminate any appearance of prejudging the outcome, Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh agreed that the FBI will not participate in the review, Justice officials said. If investigators are needed, they will be drawn from other federal agencies or even private investigative companies, officials said.

Ray's brother, Jerry Ray, said Wednesday he hopes a special prosecutor and not officials in the Justice Department conduct the review. "If the FBI does it, they'll say James done it and he's a racist," he said.

By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN, Associated Press Writer