The Assassin's Assassin: A Case Study of the Jack Ruby Trial

America watched as Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, was shot point blank by Jack Ruby on November 24, 1963 at the Dallas Police headquarters as he was being transferred to the Dallas County Jail. This was the first murder broadcast live on American television. In the emotional aftermath of the Kennedy assassination, Ruby’s case was rushed to trial. Held just months later, Ruby’s trial was hailed by news media as “the trial of the century.”

Furnished with newly released documents from the original prosecution file, Judge Brandon Birmingham and criminal defense attorney/former Dallas County assistant district attorney Toby Shook presented “The Assassin’s Assassin: A Case Study of the Jack Ruby Trial.” This presentation included a chronological overview of the case as well as a legal analysis of the defense strategy and verdict.

This presentation took place at the Museum on September 27, 2017. To see related films, photos, documents and oral histories from The Sixth Floor Museum's collection, visit our online collections database (http://emuseum.jfk.org). Or make a research appointment to explore the books, DVDs and other materials available in the Museum's Reading Room (http://www.jfk.org/reading-room).