The assassination of Robert Kennedy

One of the enduring mysteries is the assassination of Robert Kennedy. As we have just seen his son is now installed as the Health Czar in the Trump administration. With all the hate coming from the MSM the fact that a man who embodies Democrat Royalty has decided to join a Republican administration is much overlooked. It is somewhat earth shattering in my mind. I suspect that one of the prizes for switching sides is the disclosure of the FBI files on the RFK assassination. By the time this is published, Kash Patel, the new head honcho at the FBI, may have made everything public. Bearing this in mind, here is the situation as described by Grok3 on February 21st.

Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), the U.S. Senator and former Attorney General, was assassinated on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The official investigation concluded that Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian-Jordanian immigrant, was the lone gunman responsible for his death. However, questions and alternative theories have persisted for decades, fueled by eyewitness discrepancies, forensic debates, and conspiracy speculation. As of February 21, 2025, the official record still names Sirhan as the assassin, though some doubts linger. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Official Account

• The Event: RFK was shot shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, minutes after delivering a victory speech following his win in the California Democratic primary for the presidential nomination. He was walking through the hotel’s kitchen pantry when gunfire erupted.
• The Shooter: Sirhan Sirhan was apprehended at the scene, wrestling with bystanders, with a .22-caliber Iver Johnson revolver in hand. Eight shots were fired, three hitting RFK (one fatally in the head), and five wounding others.
• Evidence: 
  • Ballistics linked the bullets to Sirhan’s gun.
  • Witnesses saw him firing at RFK from a few feet away.
  • Sirhan’s own statements post-arrest expressed anger over RFK’s support for Israel (notably a 1967 speech favoring arms sales), suggesting a political motive.
• Trial and Conviction: In 1969, Sirhan was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment in 1972 when California abolished the death penalty.
• Current Status: As of 2025, Sirhan remains in prison (at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility). His parole was recommended in 2021 by a California board but denied by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022, citing public safety concerns. His next parole hearing looms, but no firm date is set.

Forensic and Eyewitness Details

• Autopsy: Coroner Thomas Noguchi determined RFK was hit by three bullets, with the fatal shot entering behind his right ear at close range (1-3 inches), fired upward. This suggested a point-blank shot, consistent with Sirhan’s proximity.
• Witness Accounts: Most of the 77 people in the pantry identified Sirhan as the shooter. However, some details—like the exact number of shots or Sirhan’s position—varied.

Doubts and Conspiracy Theories

Despite the official conclusion, alternative narratives have persisted, questioning whether Sirhan acted alone or at all:

1. Second Gunman Theory  
   • Claim: Some argue the bullet trajectories and number of shots suggest another shooter. Noguchi’s autopsy noted the fatal shot came from behind at close range, while witnesses placed Sirhan in front of RFK, 3-6 feet away.
   • Evidence: Acoustic analysis from a 2005 audio recording by journalist Stanislaw Pruszynski suggested up to 13 shots—exceeding the 8-round capacity of Sirhan’s gun. Forensic expert Philip Van Praag posited two guns were fired.
   • Counterpoint: The LAPD and FBI dismissed this, attributing extra sounds to echoes or ricochet fragments in the cramped space. No second gun was recovered.
2. More Bullets Than Capacity  
   • Claim: Investigators found up to 10 bullet holes in the pantry (walls, doorframe), yet Sirhan’s revolver held only 8 rounds.
   • Counterpoint: Official reports say some holes were from police bullets during evidence extraction or misidentified marks. The doorframe, a key piece of evidence, was destroyed in 1969, fueling speculation but not proof.
3. Hypnosis/Mind Control (MKUltra Link)  
   • Claim: Sirhan’s erratic behavior and claims of memory loss led to theories he was a “Manchurian candidate,” programmed by the CIA or others (tied to the MKUltra program). His notebooks contained repetitive, trance-like writings (“RFK must die”).
   • Evidence: A 2008 hypnosis expert, Dr. Daniel Brown, suggested Sirhan was susceptible to suggestion, but no direct link to CIA involvement exists. MKUltra was real (declassified in the 1970s), but its connection to Sirhan is speculative.
   • Counterpoint: Sirhan’s defense abandoned this angle in court; his motive tied more clearly to Middle East politics.
4. Political Motives (CIA, Mafia, etc.)  
   • Claim: RFK’s enemies—organized crime (from his Attorney General days), anti-Castro Cubans, or even CIA elements—had motive due to his anti-corruption stance and brother’s presidency.
   • Evidence: No hard proof (documents, witnesses) ties these groups to the killing. Thane Eugene Cesar, a security guard with a .22 pistol that night, was suspected by some (e.g., RFK Jr.), but he denied involvement and passed away in 2019 without confessing.
   • Counterpoint: Investigations (e.g., 1970s House Select Committee on Assassinations) found no credible conspiracy evidence beyond Sirhan.

Family Perspective

• RFK Jr.: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a 2024 presidential candidate, has publicly doubted Sirhan’s sole guilt, meeting him in 2018 and advocating for a new investigation. He believes Cesar or others may have fired the fatal shot. Other siblings, like Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, have supported reopening the case, though the family isn’t unified on this.

Official Investigations

• LAPD (SUS Unit): The Special Unit Senator investigation in 1968 concluded Sirhan acted alone.
• 1975 Reexamination: A panel retested Sirhan’s gun and upheld the lone-gunman finding.
• FBI and Later Reviews: No federal reinvestigation has overturned the original conclusion, despite periodic lawsuits and calls from figures like Paul Schrade (a wounded victim who doubts Sirhan’s solo role).

Conclusion

As of February 21, 2025, Sirhan Sirhan remains the legally recognized assassin of Robert F. Kennedy, backed by eyewitnesses, ballistics, and his conviction. Yet, inconsistencies—shot angles, bullet counts, and Sirhan’s odd demeanor—keep alternative theories alive, though none have produced definitive evidence to supplant the official narrative. The truth may be locked in lost evidence (like that doorframe) or unprovable after 57 years. Legally, it’s Sirhan; speculatively, the question lingers. What angle of this case intrigues you most? I can dive deeper if you’d like.

My final word on the matter is to point out that Sirhan Sirhan, now 80 years old, is a Palestinian though the media describe him as a Palestinian-Jordanian. The 1960s were full of Palestinian atrocities; there is nothing new under the sun, we are still seeing their atrocities. It is quite amazing that both Kennedy assassinations were officially carried out by a lone gunman and controversy still swirls round that official truth.
 

© well_chuffed 2025