5/7/2015 Shooting holes in theory that a Secret Service agent killed President Kennedy

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Shootingholesintheorythata
SecretServiceagentkilledPresident
Kennedy
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SecretServiceagentGeorgeHickeyisseenbrandishingarifleasthelimousinecarryingawoundedPresidentKennedy, This is what happens

withagentClintHillontheback,speedsawayfromDealeyPlazainDallasonNov.22,1963.OnetheoryisthatHickey after you die
accidentallyshotJFK.

PeterMucha,Philly.com
LASTUPDATED:Wednesday,November13,2013,10:20AM
'Hurricane Schwartz:
Tropical storm?

ASecretServiceagentaccidentallyshotPresidentKennedy
inthehead?
9 arrests in Montco
child-support sweep
Thisseeminglyincredibletheorywasrevivedlastweekby
JFK:TheSmokingGun,atwohourReelzspecialthats
scheduledtorunagainFridayat5and8p.m.Amongmany
programsrememberingKennedyaroundthe50thanniversary
ofhisNov.22,1963,assassination,itstandsoutforfocusing
onasuspectbesidesLeeHarveyOswald.

Despitesomecheesyreenactmentsthatactorssupposed
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5/7/2015 Shooting holes in theory that a Secret Service agent killed President Kennedy
tolooklikeArlenSpecter?JFK:The
SmokingGunbuildsaseeminglyplausible
casebasedonballisticsandsuspiciousbehaviorby
governmentofficials.

Ibelieve,Americanshaveoverwhelminglyvoted,according
toapollattheshowscompanionwebsite.Criticalmedia
reportsaretoughtofind.

Letstakeacloserlook.

Themainevidenceinfavorofthetheory,proposedinthe
1970sbyBaltimoregunsmithHowardDonahueandnewly
resurrectedbyAustraliandetectiveColinMcLaren,focuses
onthethirdshotatPresidentKennedy,tearingapartthe
upperrightsideofhisskull.

JFKsheadwoundssuggestedtoDonahuethatthethirdshot
wasnotfiredbytheMannlicherCarcanoriflefoundonthe HOVER FOR HOVER FOR
sixthflooroftheTexasSchoolBookDepository.Most CIRCULAR CIRCULAR

investigators,includingDonahue,believethatweapon,linked
toLeeHarveyOswald,firedthefirsttwoshots,ifnotallthree.

Thewaythebulletproducedasmanyas40tinyfragments
insideKennedysbrain,andthereported6mmdiameterofthe
entrywoundinthebackoftheskull,wereinconsistentwith
6.5mmCarcanobullets,Donahuecontended.Hisanalysis HOVER FOR HOVER FOR
didagreewithSpecterssinglebullettheorythatsuchafull CIRCULAR CIRCULAR

metaljacketprojectilewascapableofdrillingthrough
TravelDeals Kennedysupperbackandthroat,andTexasGov.John
Connellysback,ribandwristbeforelodginginhisthigh.But
Donahuecouldntcomprehendsuchabulletdisintegrating
insideabrain.

Hiscalculationsputthetrajectoryovertheleftsideofthe
trailingcar,whichwasfullofSecretServiceagents,including
$115&upArubaHotel
onewhoatsomepointpickedupanAR15rifle.Donahue
&ResortDealsupto35%
Off concludedtheagent,GeorgeHickey,accidentallyshotthe
Seealltraveldeals presidentwhenthecarsuddenlylurched.

Thetheorygotlittlenotice,despitea1977writeupinthe
BaltimoreSunanda1992book,MortalError:TheShotThat
KilledJFK,byBonarMenninger.Donahuediedin1999.
AlsoonPhilly.com
IntheReelzreport,McLarenextendsthecasetoarguethat BUSINESS:
therewasacoverup,becausetheSecretServicewas Peco OK'd to double
spending on old gas
mortifiedthatthepresidentwaskilledbyamanwhowas main replacements
assignedtothatcaronlybecauseotheragentsallegedlyhad
beenpartyinganddrinkingtillearlythatmorning.
HEALTH:
Itallmakesforanintriguingcase.Butithassomemajor What you know about
holes. weight loss, calories is
wrong
Accidentsdontgetanyfreakier.Thinkaboutit.A
stationarymarksmanaimingariflemisseswithhisfirstshot,
butafederalagentinalurchingcarjusthappenstofireatthe SPORTS:
Kelly wants players who conform
perfectupdown,leftrightangletohitKennedyinthehead?
IsntitmuchmorelikelythatatleastoneofDonahues

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5/7/2015 Shooting holes in theory that a Secret Service agent killed President Kennedy
estimationswasofftarget?

Nosolidwitnesses.McLarenmakesabigdealoftrusting
witnesses,butmorethan100peopletherethatdaythought
shotscamefromtheBookDepositoryortheinfamousgrassy ENTERTAINMENT:

knoll.NooneclaimedtoseeHickeydischargehisweapon 'Scandal's' Tony

Goldwyn comes to
directlyatthepresident. Philly

YetJFK:TheSmokingGundiscreditsthegrassyknollidea
(asdoesColdCaseJFK,Novasreexaminationofthe
FOOD:
scientificevidencethatdebutsat9tonightonPBS),while The Triangle Tavern
givingcredibilitytothosewhosmelledgunsmokeatstreet comes back Sunday
level,whothoughtthethirdshotwaslouderorcamefrom
nearthepresidentiallimousine,orwhothoughtHickeymay
havepickeduphisrifleafterthefirstshot(Hickeytestifiedit
JOBS:
wasafterthethirdshot). Why millennials dont
want the top job
Hickeyscarhadtwoadministrationofficialsinside,andseven
otherSecretServiceagentsaboard,countingfouronthe
runningboards,whileatleasttwoDallasmotorcyclecops
rodealongside.Behindthemweremorecarsfullofagents StayConnected
GetthelatestPhilly.comDailyHeadlinesnewsletter
andofficials.YetnoonewassurethatHickey'sAR15was deliveredtoyouremail.Signupnow!
firedinDealeyPlaza?KennedyaideDavePowerssaid,
Enteremailaddresstosignup
Someoneafootawayfrommeortwofeetawayfromme
couldntfireagunwithoutmehearingit,accordingtoMortal Alreadyhaveaphilly.comaccount? Yes No

Error.Acoverupmightproducesuchposteventdenials,but
whatexplainsalackofimmediatereactioninthefollowup
car?Wouldntatrainedagenthavesnatchedthegun,or
knockedHickeydown,incasehewasarealassassin?Orto
preventthisklutzfromkillingsomeoneelse?

Onephotograph(above)issaidtoshowHickeywithoutthe
rifleatthetimeoffirstshot,andtheonlyphotographofhim
withitshowsitpointingskywardwellbeyondthe
assassinationscene.HickeyslawsuitoverMenningersbook
resultedinasettlement.

Itsdubioustouseagapingholetocalculateatrajectory.
IfDonahuestrajectoryiswrong,hiswholetheoryfallsapart.

DidthebulletenternearthebaseofKennedy'sskull(asthe
autopsyreportsuggested)orfourincheshigher(asthe
HouseSelectionCommitteeonAssassinationsconcluded)?
Then,didittraveltowardthemiddleoftheareawithmissing
skull,ortravelmoretowardthetop,bottom,frontorrear?

EvenDonahue,accordingtoMortalError,believedthebullet
curvedtotherightandupward,disagreeingwiththeHouse
SelectAssassinationCommitteescontentionitcurledtothe
rightanddownward.ThescienceisrevisitedinNovasCold

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5/7/2015 Shooting holes in theory that a Secret Service agent killed President Kennedy
CaseJFK.DuringexperimentsfiringCarcanobulletsatskulls
filledwithballisticsgel,thebulletsdidnotfollowastraight
pathinsidetheskull,becausetheyweredeformedonimpact,
thenarratorexplains.

ScientistLarrySturdivansaidthebulletswouldyaw,or
wobble,anddeveloplift.Ifthebulletrose,itcouldhavebeen
firedfromanangleoverHickeyshead.Addindisagreements
abouthowmuchJFKsheadwasleaningforwardorturned
towardtheleft,asseenbelowinaframefromtheZapruder
film,andthetrajectoryfurtherresemblesguesswork.

Acompletelydisintegratedbulletalsoconfusesthe
trajectory.AbigpartofDonahuestheorywasthatthethird
bulletexplosivelydisintegratedintodozensoftiny
fragments.ThatwouldfitthekindofbulletsusedbyHickeys
AR15.MortalErrorquotesRussellFisher,aMaryland
medicalexaminer,astellingDonahuethatthebulletthathit
him[Kennedy]intheheaddisintegratedcompletely,judging
fromautopsyxrays.

Sowhichisit?Didthebulletshattertosmithereens,ordidit
leaveenoughevidencetopinpointapath?JFK:TheSmoking
Gungivesbothimpressions,pokingadowelthroughtwo
holesinamodelofaskull(above),andblowingupa
cantaloupewithanAR15bullet.Forgetaboutthreadingany
dowelthroughthatmelon.AndforgetabouttheCarcano
bulletpiercingthecantaloupeneatly.NovasColdCaseJFK
showsfootageofskullsfracturingapartwhenstruckby
Carcanobullets.

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5/7/2015 Shooting holes in theory that a Secret Service agent killed President Kennedy

Carcanobulletsdidbreakapartintestsonskulls.
Kennedysbrainwentmissingaftertheautopsy,sonoone
knowsifbulletfragmentsseeninxraysfromtheautopsyadd
uptoanAR15bulletortheleadcoreandotherbitsofa
Carcanobullet.TwosizeableCarcanobulletfragments
(above)werefoundinthepresidentiallimo,andtheWarren
Commissionconcludedtheywerefromthebulletthatcaused
theheadwoundandthattheydamagedthewindshieldandits
chromebeforedroppingtothefloor.Themissingmiddle
sectionmightaccountforthedozensoftinyfragmentsseen
onthexrays.Andtheaforementionedtestsonhumanskulls
didproducedeformedpiecesresemblingthosefoundinthe
limousine.Donahuesexplanationisthatthefirstshotmissed,
hitpavementandricocheted,withthreefragmentswindingup
inthelimousine,includingonethatstrikesKennedyshead,
causinghimtoreactbeforeheandConnellygothitbythe
secondbullet.Donahueexaminedthetwofoundfragments,
andeliminatedthemascomingfromthethirdshot,because
hesawnobraintissueresidue,accordingtoMortalError.

Theentrywoundsdiameterisntclear.Again,JFK:The
SmokingGuntriestohaveitbothways.Ontheonehand,it
playsuphowbotchedtheautopsywas,andontheother
hand,wantstouseanautopsyestimateashardevidence.
Donahuedecidedtheautopsywasfourinchestoolowin
locatingtheentrancewoundinthebackofthehead,and
thatsplausiblesinceitwasDr.Fishersconclusionafter
viewingxraysattheNationalArchives,accordingtoMortal
Error.(TheNovaspecialleanstowardthelowerlocation,
basedonskullfracturepatterns.)

AndyetDonahueassumestheautopsywaspreciseaboutthe
entrywounddiameterdowntoonefiftiethofaninch.Further,
itsunclearifthe6mmmeasurementappliedtothebone
itself,sinceitwasclearlygivenforalaceratedwoundinthe
posteriorscalp.Whenthereportthennotesacorresponding
woundthroughtheskull,isthatadeclarationitwasexactly
thesamesize,orjustinthesamelocation?AsMenninger
notes,Certainly,thescalptissuemayhaveshrunk.The
woundinKennedysbackandthroat,agreedtohavebeen
fromaCarcanobullet,wasmeasuredasonly4mmwidein
theautopsyreport.TheWarrenReportsaidelasticrecoilof
theskullcouldexplaintheseemingdiscrepancy.

Coverupscanhavemanyreasons.Theautopsywas
dubiousandevidencewaslost,butthatdoesntmakefatal
friendlyfiretheonlypossibleexplanation.Losingthe
presidentwasembarrassingenoughtotheSecretService,

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5/7/2015 Shooting holes in theory that a Secret Service agent killed President Kennedy
anditswidelysuspectedtheFBIandCIAwerecoveringup
howmuchtheyreallyknewaboutOswald.Thewaythe
medicalevidencewas"rushedandbungled"allowedallsorts
ofconspiracytheoriestoarise,saidNewYorkTimesreporter
PhilipShenon,authorofACruelandShockingAct:The
SecretHistoryoftheKennedyAssassination.

Theresasayingaboutquantumphysics,thatifyouthinkyou
understandit,youprobablydont.

DittofortheassassinationofPresidentJohnF.Kennedy,in
Dallas50yearsagothismonth.

ContactstaffwriterPeterMuchaat2158544342or
pmucha@phillynews.com.Follow@petemuchaonTwitter.

PeterMucha
Philly.com

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