A court hearing is scheduled July 1 on ownership of the rifle allegedly used in the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tenn. Papers claiming ownership were filed Wednesday in probate court by Jerry Ray, brother of James Earl Ray, who died April 23 while serving a 99-year sentence for the murder.

The Remington rifle and personal belongings were found at the scene of the slaying. Jerry Ray said he may sell the gun to the highest bidder if his claim is upheld at the July 1 hearing in Nashville. Officials of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis are expected to contest the claim.

(? Reuters)