Ray of Hope for King Family

• Share

WASHINGTON: For the family of Martin Luther King Jr., a sliver of satisfaction: Attorney General Janet Reno announced Wednesday she will reopen the investigation of the assassination of the civil rights leader in the hopes of answering the 30-year-old question: Did James Earl Ray act alone? But TIME Atlanta bureau chief Sylvester Monroe says that because of the investigation's limited scope -- only new evidence and witnesses allowed -- the chance of obtaining more satisfying answers are slim.

"The Clinton administration didn't want to totally slam the door in the Kings' faces. This is a courtesy to them," says Monroe. "But there's not a whole lot that's new, and I don't think anybody expects anything to come out of this. Except the Kings." And of course it wouldn't be a Reno investigation without someone crying for an independent counsel -- except this time it's not Republicans, it's Ray's brother Jerry. "If the FBI does it, they'll say James done it and he's a racist," he said Thursday. That call, at least, should be easy for Reno to ignore.