From the Front, But How Close?

One of the few remaining mysteries of the John Kennedy murder is the precise location from where the fatal headshot came. We consolidate and evaluate the 3 competing theories in this brief essay.

 

We have opined, sometimes with greater or less fervor, that Kennedy's fatal wound came from the front. The ballistics evidence supports that view, with the understanding that much of the evidence in the case is unreliable due to massive tampering and obstruction of justice from the CIA, Warren Commission, FBI, Secret Service, and other government agencies involved in the murder and its cover-up.

 

We will dismiss early the idea that the fatal headshot came from the famed Grassy Knoll. There is no doubt that snipers fired from that location, but they did not deliver the fatal shot. Again, the basis for rejecting that hypothesis is the forensic evidence about the skull fractures as described by Sherry Feister.

 

Ms Feister makes the reasonable case that the head shot came from the triple overpass, a theory with some difficulties. One is that the distance to the vehicle and the impact observed seem incompatible. In other words, the loss of velocity over the substantial distance places the contention in doubt, although we are very amenable to a physicist's calculation of velocity at the point of impact. Actually, a first semester college physics student could derive the answer, but it may not solve the larger problem of locating the sniper.

 

The primary concern is that witnesses to the unaltered Zapruder film observed massive explosions about the head, so it seems to us that a closer shot is required. This leads us to the 2 remaining theories - namely that William Greer fired the shot with his 45 caliber gun, or some other device was used to murder the president.

 

While we have advocated the Greer theory, and are adamant that he was part of the murder team, there is the problem of positioning. Greer would have needed a certain amount of dexterity and alacrity to deliver the fatal headshot over a backseat and into the presidential cabin. While possible, it suffers from low odds for susccess. The extant Zapruder film fragments suggest the possibility, but it is not as plausible as our final opinion.

 

As noted in a previous blog about Dr Peter Beter's reporting of the murder, he argued that a device mounted in the presidential limousine killed the president. This explanation overcomes the need for extreme accuracy from the snipers either at the Overpass or in the driver seat. Even though Greer stopped the vehicle long enough for a sniper to take aim and shoot, other factors make hitting the distant target difficult, such as motion of the target.

 

The problem with a concealed weapon in the limousine is how to operate it reliablely. Perhaps the Dealey Plaza murder command post seen in one of the Altgens photos and the umbrella man supply the missing links to explaining how the apparatus was managed.

 

The rapid destruction of the limousine clearly makes a plausible case that it housed the murder weapon. The close proximity of the weapon to its victim helps explain the violent destruction of the president's skull which is largely concealed by the altered Zapruder film.

 

Finally, the in situ location of the murder weapon would explain how Connally, himself part of the murder team, could be persuaded to ride with the president.

 

We believe that the mounted device in the limousine provides the most sensible explanation given the evidence in hand. We could be persuaded with alternate theories as the evidence is clarified, but for now we credit Beter with having the best explanation. In any event, all credible parties are agreed that that the shot came from the front. The only remaining question is how close.

 

Copyright 2013 Tony Bonn. All rights reserved.