Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. The convicted assassin, 24-year-old Palestinian Sirhan B. Sirhan, attributed the killing to Kennedy's support for Israel during the Six-Day War. On March 3, 1969, in a Los Angeles, California court, Sirhan admitted that he had killed Kennedy. Sirhan has since recanted, and as late as 1998 has sought a new trial. [1]
Various critics have suggested that the official account of Robert Kennedy's death is inconsistent or incomplete, and/or that the killing was the result of a conspiracy.
Background
The evening he was killed, Kennedy had won the June 4 Democratic Presidential primaries in South Dakota and California, making him the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for President during the 1968 presidential election.
Kennedy addressed his supporters on the evening of June 5 in a ballroom at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Afterwords, Kennedy and his entourage walked through a kitchen hallway, shaking hands with well-wishers and hotel staff. The small pantry was rather crowded, when Sirhan stepped towards Kennedy and said "Kennedy, you son of a bitch" before firing his .22 revolver into the crowd.
Among others, Olympic gold medalist decathlete Rafer Johnson and football player Roosevelt Grier helped detain Sirhan, with Grier jamming his thumb behind the trigger of the gun to prevent further shots from being fired.
The shooting and resultant scuffle were broadcast live by reporter Andrew West of KRKD, who was interviewing Kennedy. [2]
Kennedy was shot twice in his back and once behind his right ear. A fourth shot grazed Kennedy's clothing. Kennedy lay on the floor, bleeding heavily, and asked if anyone else was hurt. Five other people were wounded, and Kennedy died the next day.
Disputes and Contentions
There seems to be no dispute that Sirhan did fire his revolver (though one witness reportedly described his weapon as sounding like a harmless starter pistol [3]).
What is disputed is whether there was another gunman at the scene, as well as the propriety of some actions taken by various authorities during the investigation. Like his brother John's 1963 assassination, RFK's death has been analyzed by many who have developed various alternative scenarios for the crime, or who argue there are serious problems with the official case.
Kennedy's Wounds
Though some eyewitnesses suggest Sirhan was about one-and-a-half feet from Kennedy when he fired his revolver, many of the witnesses agreed that Sirhan was at least three feet away from Kennedy. All witnesses agree that Sirhan was facing Kennedy.
In conducting an autopsy on Kennedy, Los Angeles coroner Thomas N. Noguchi found powder burns on Kennedy's ear and gunpowder residue in his hair. Noguchi said this indicated that Kennedy was shot from a distance of, at most, 1.5 inches. (When a firearm is discharged, the powder travels only a few inches because the gas is very light.) Noguchi's conclusions led to speculation that Sirhan was too far from Kennedy to have adminstered the fatal shot, and that a second shooter must have been present. Noguchi himself wrote years later that "Until more is precisely known…the existence of a second gunman remains a possibility. Thus, I have never said that Sirhan Sirhan killed Robert Kennedy."[4]
Allegations of Supression or Coverup
Robert Enyart asserts that he took photographs during the shooting, but these were confiscated by the LAPD and never returned.[5]
Sandy Serrano reports that during questioning, she was intimidated by police.[6]
Police reportedly destroyed or concealed considerable amounts of evidence from the crime scene, including photographs, ceiling panels, and door frames.
Charges have been made that authorities withheld potentially exculpatory evidence from Sirhan's lawyer by keeping Noguchi's autopsy sealed until after the trial had begun.
Additional Bullet Holes or Gunshots
Sirhan's .22 revolver held eight shells. The official conclusion is that Sirhan fired all his shells, and all were recovered. Others have suggested this conclusion is flawed, and that evidence points to several other shells have been recovered.
Additional Conspirators
A young Kennedy supporter named Sandy Serrano said a couple burst out of the hotel the night of the shooting exclaiming, "We shot Kennedy."
Brainwashing
Sirhan claimed he acted unconsciously, and that he has no memory of the event. This has led to speculations that he was acting under the influence of "hypnotic brainwashing" which many attribute to the CIA's MK-Ultra program (similar to the plot of The Manchurian Candidate).
References In Popular Culture
The Rolling Stones were recording Beggar's Banquet when Robert Kennedy was shot. A lyric in "Sympathy for the Devil" was subsequently changed from "I shouted out, 'Who killed John Kennedy?'" to "I shouted out, 'Who killed the Kennedys'"
External links
- Los Angeles Police Dept. Records -- From the Online Archive of California
- Who Killed Robert F. Kennedy? -- From conspiracy theorist Pat Shannan
- Articles about the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy -- From Citizens for the Truth about the Kennedy Assassination
- Bobby, I didn't know! -- From Mike Ruppert
- FBI report summary -- Released under the Freedom of Information Act
- The Assassinations -- Book on the assassinations of JFK, MLK, RFK and Malcolm X
- Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Collections -- Articles disputing that Sirhan killed Kennedy
- The RFK Assassination (argues in favor of a conspiracy)