3/9: Alias Maze And Identity Confusion Cloud MLK Assassination Trail
Previously sealed FBI files reveal a complex web of aliases, misidentified individuals, and potential decoys surrounding James Earl Ray in the months before and after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which raise sharp questions about whether the man known as Eric S. Galt operated alone -- or as part of a wider misdirection network.
The alias “Eric S. Galt” was central to Ray’s movements in Los Angeles and Mexico. Yet FBI reports note striking contradictions in witness identifications.
Rita Stein and Marie Martin positively recognized Ray as “Galt” from photos provided by a bartending school, not law enforcement. But Stein later said a photo of Ray from Mexico, dated November 1967, was “not a good likeness.”
One memo observed: subject hesitated, said photo ‘does not resemble Galt she knew,’ though she earlier ID'd school image.
Another alias, “Marie Perez,” was suspected to be an alternative identity used by cocktail waitress Marie Martin, whose connections to Ray were well-documented.
Though she denied ever using the name, FBI notations from April 1968 include the line: suspect possibly known as 'Perez' in vice files -- unable to confirm due to destroyed records.
Ray himself was linked to additional pseudonyms including “Ramon George Sneyd,” “Eric Starvo Galt,” “Ray Fernandell,” “Ray Fernandez Sesma,” and “Theodore J. A’Hearn II.” The presence of these names across Canadian, British, and U.S. documents -- often formatted identically -- prompted one FBI analyst to question whether the aliases were created with external clerical assistance.
One memo dated June 1968 states: alias usage form and handwriting on Galt Canadian money order match DOJ records -- possible inter-agency overlap in document issuance.
A critical confusion involved Ray Selma, a Mexican-American described as a known epileptic alcoholic and acquaintance of a woman named Dyrell Dennis. Despite a similar name and profile, multiple witnesses said they recognised Selma but had never seen him with Ray.
Edgar Pendleton, a hotel contact, identified a man he called Selma as a roommate but denied Ray’s presence. Yet LAPD archives list Ray Selma under aliases similar to those used by Ray.
FBI noted: Pendleton aware of Ray Selma; describes seizure, alcohol use, no job. Does not recall ever seeing ‘James Earl Ray’ or ‘Eric Galt.’
Additional alias activity emerged in telephone records. Rita Stein was charged for a call made from her line to New Orleans, received by a person described by the operator as “Negro sounding.”
Stein denied making the call or knowing anyone there. She also used two utilities aliases -- RODE and ROSAS -- a tactic unexplained during interviews.
In another case, a tissue box found in Stein’s home bore names “GINGER DAY” and “ANITA KATZWINKEL.” When asked, Stein said she did not know these names. Yet Martin later said both were familiar from the bar circuit.
The confusion intensified in Europe. A Canadian-issued passport under the name “Sneyd” was used by Ray to enter Portugal, with British authorities later referencing a Colonial Security Attache’s awareness of Ray’s movements -- suggesting international tracking of the alias before his arrest at Heathrow.
A UK liaison note dated June 1968 read: colonial office flagged alias ‘Sneyd’ early May. Did not relay to FBI until Heathrow intercept.
Despite dozens of interviews, not one consistent witness confirmed Ray’s face across all aliases. Most recognized Galt, some Sneyd, none all.
FBI concluded in a post-capture memo: suspect operated with layered identity set -- travel, finances, social life all under false name structures. Pattern may indicate tradecraft training or outside assistance.
Yet none of these inconsistencies were discussed in the House Select Committee report on the assassination. The public narrative -- that Ray alone used aliases to escape detection -- omits the bureaucratic overlap and recurring witness confusion now confirmed in internal files.
The result is a chaotic alias matrix that concealed Ray’s movements and may have enabled others to operate alongside or ahead of him.