The Shifting Single-Bullet Theory--It Always "Works" No Matter What

[Marjan Rynkiewicz]

I guess you haven't read most of my replies herein. JFK starts reacting long before Z224, as the HSCA PEP noted, as we know the WC's experts recognized, and as Olson and Turner noted, etc., etc.

In wound ballistics tests, the particulate spray from head shots remains visible for at least six frames, which only makes sense when you think about it. Another problem with the spray in the Zapruder film is that no spray blows backward, yet we know that blood and brain were splattered on the trunk, on the follow-up car, and on the two left-trailing patrolmen. Hargis was hit so hard by the spray that he thought he himself had been hit (and he was only moving about 11 mph, and the film shows no spray into which he could have driven of that could have hit him).

The Z312 forward head movement is highly debatable. I've cited it because WC apologists cited it for years after Dr. Alvarez detected it. Subsequent research has found sound reasons to believe that the movement is an optical illusion. A much more obvious and faster forward movement occurs from Z328-330. A gunshot impulse on the Dallas dictabelt recording occurs at right around Z328. For mor info on this, see British research Martin Hay's review of Josiah Thompson's 2021 book Last Second in Dallas: https://www.kennedysandking.com/john-f-kennedy-reviews/last-second-in-dallas-by-josiah-thompson.

I notice that WC apologists seem reluctant to deal with the Knott Laboratory refutation of the SBT mentioned and documented in the OP. Knott Lab, a forensic engineering and animation lab, has proved that Connally's position and back wound make the SBT impossible. Knott Lab engineers conducted a laser test in Dealey Plaza, collecting millions of data points, converted the data into 3D imagery, and determined that the SBT is impossible because Connally's back wound does not and cannot align with a bullet fired from the sixth-floor window and exiting JFK's throat. Here's a video on the Knott Lab study:

Why the 'Single Bullet Theory' in JFK Assassination Is Impossible

As I noted in the OP, the video has already had nearly half a million views since being posted about a month ago.

Of course, Dr. Mantik destroyed the SBT back in the 1990s when he produced an overhead scan of a man with dimensions closely resembling JFK's dimensions and showed that any bullet going from the back wound to the throat wound would have had to smash through the spine. WC apologists are still in denial about this powerful evidence. They've produced goofy graphics that move the back wound in order to enable the bullet to miss the spine.

Ok. Firstly, jfk was leaning right or at least he was hard right against the side of the limo.
Nextly, jfk had his right arm up high, ie waving.
Nextly, when hit, at Z218, jfk was looking to his left (ie had his head turned left), towards an african american family (dad mum & kid), standing on the grass on the south side of Elm St (the only humans anywhere near that location).
The SBT works perfectly, allways did, allways will.

[John Mytton]

Of course, Dr. Mantik destroyed the SBT back in the 1990s...

 

Just like Mantik's misrepresentation of the stereoscopic back of head autopsy photos, he's again wrong here.



JohnM

[Michael T. Griffith]

Here's an article on the Knott Laboratory SBT analysis published in Forensic Magazine ("Forensic Animation Firm Tests 'Single Bullet Theory' in Reconstruction of JFK Assassination":

Knott Laboratory, an industry leader in forensic engineering and animation for more than 40 years, was commissioned to create the digital reconstruction of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to test the "single bullet theory" from the historic Warren Commission report. They have released their findings in advance of the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy.

Kennedy was famously assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, TX. The Warren Commission was assembled to investigate the shooting and issued a report in 1964 finding that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman, firing a total of three shots in the incident. However, evidence suggests the potential of a fourth shot from another location indicating a second gunman and a wider conspiracy to kill the president.

Knott Laboratory was hired by John Orr, a former Justice Department attorney, who conducted his own investigation as a private citizen, making trips to the National Archives to review every document available, and even being permitted to examine original evidence such as the president’s shirt. In 1995, Orr sent his report to then Attorney General Janet Reno, which did achieve some reexamination of the evidence by the FBI, but ultimately didn’t lead to anything new or conclusive. Once Orr hired Knott in 2018, modern science was able to corroborate his theory.

The "single bullet theory" concluded that one of the three shots fired from the window by Oswald struck both President Kennedy and Governor Connally. The report stated that the bullet hit Kennedy in the back, exited his neck, entered Governor Connally in the right armpit, exited his chest, went through his right wrist and embedded in his left thigh.

To reconstruct the scene with modern technology, the Knott Laboratory experts conducted a high-definition laser scan of Dealey Plaza to generate a point cloud of up to two million points per second, to accurately measure point-to-point anywhere in the scene. Knott Laboratory also obtained historic photographic evidence from the plaza, the limousine, and the "Zapruder film," which is widely known as the best video footage of the incident in its entirety.

From this point cloud, the team of forensic engineers was able to match images from the scene and the Zapruder film using a process called photogrammetry. They modeled the presidential limousine using multiple photographs and established the correct dimensions of the vehicle. Through a process called match moving, they synced frames from the Zapruder film into the digital recreation of the scene. The match moving enabled the alignment of the digital models of Kennedy and Connally in the vehicle to establish their positions frame by frame throughout the incident.

“With the ability to measure distances, locations and angles from the point cloud, we could develop the exact trajectory between Oswald's shooting position and points on each body,” said Stanley Stoll, CEO & Principal Engineer of Knott Laboratory. “Our team tested bullet trajectories using the two frames from the Zapruder film where the first shots occurred and the known entry and exit points on Kennedy and Connally.”

Stoll continued, “The shooting position, bullet exit point on President Kennedy, and entry point on Governor Connally should all be reasonably in line. When drawing this line from the sixth floor perch of the Texas Book Depository to the positions of the two men and their entry/exit points, we found a significant angle difference. This case is ongoing, but evidence strongly suggests there is more to the story in this historic event. Modern science refutes the Warren Commission’s findings on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.” (https://www.forensicmag.com/608244-Forensic-Animation-Firm-Tests-Single-Bullet-Theory-in-Reconstruction-of-JFK-Assassination/)

[Marjan Rynkiewicz]

Let us take the Knott Laboratory digital reconstruction as a 100% molecular accurate illustration of events. Its trajectory depicts a "perfect straight-line bullet trajectory" through JFK, demonstrated by projecting a straight line from the president's throat wound through his back wound and towards the sixth-floor southeast corner window of the Texas School Book Depository. Extended is the straight line towards Governor Connally's back.

So, the Knott Laboratory reconstruction assumes a "perfect straight-line ballistic trajectory" and, therefore, appears to demonstrate that the Single Bullet Theory is impossible. But its reconstruction is somewhat deceptive and emphatically demonstrably erroneous. It does not consider the possibility that CE 399 (FB1 C1) could have traversed through JFK—from back to front—by a "slightly curved left-to-right nonlinear trajectory."

A "slightly curved left-to-right nonlinear trajectory" would change the bullet entry and exit angles but still enter and exit at the locations of the president's wounds and could explain the 10″ (to Connally's back) discrepancy in the Knott Laboratory digital reconstruction. The slight change in bullet entry and exit angles from that depicted could still align with the sniper's nest window, slightly altering the assassin and their rifle's position. In short, the nonlinear trajectory has the bullet exiting the president's throat at an angle different from that demonstrated in the Knott Laboratory digital reconstruction and strikes Governor Connally near the right armpit.

Supposition: CE 399 traverses JFK by a nonlinear trajectory, passing between the transverse process of his 7th cervical vertebrae and the transverse process of his 1st thoracic vertebrae (avoids striking his spine) and then of course, exits his throat slightly to the right of his Adam's Apple.

The following is a rare example of a possible nonlinear full metal-jacketed bullet trajectory:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42399-021-00760-3

Yes a FMJ rarely has zero veer in jelly, & sometimes say 15 deg of veer in say 15 inches. But i want to point out some other Knott krapp.
The Knott 3D of Dealey Plaza adds almost zero to the SBT question, except that it helps Knott to play around with the angles of the dangles re whether Oswald's shot-2 was at say Z200 or Z218 or Z224 etc (it was at Z218).
The Knott 3D of the limo & jfk & Connally is the critical ingredient. And here Knott have (must have) stuffed up.
Lets assume that Knott did not stuff up. In that case........
(1)  Where did the bullet that passed throo jfk end up? What did it hit (end up) after it exited jfk?
             Knott proved beyond any doubt that the slug was made of ice & melted.
(2)  Where did the bullet that passed throo Connally come from?
             Knott proved beyond any doubt that the slug came from say a 4th floor window at the western end of the TSBD.

(3) Did Knott explain how the bullet that hit Connally caused the lapel flip at Z224?
                Lattimer tests in 1994 (i think) showed that there was no lapel flip unless the bullet was yawing (starting to tumble) when it entered Connally.
            Knott proved beyond any doubt that the sniper used a smooth bore barrel, & that the slug was starting to tumble when it hit.

[Andrew Mason]

Lets assume that Knott did not stuff up. In that case........
(1)  Where did the bullet that passed throo jfk end up? What did it hit (end up) after it exited jfk?
             Knott proved beyond any doubt that the slug was made of ice & melted.

Knott's analysis is based on the shot through JFK at z223-225.  It shows that the bullet could not have struck JBC in the right armpit.

It would be interesting to see what their analysis would show if the shot occurred at z193-195, which is a better fit with all the evidence.

At that point JBC is turned to the right. Also, the right to left angle from the SN is greater than at z223-225. It appears to be at least 13. degrees and goes to JBC's left side. So it could have hit JBC on the left side after exiting JFK.

[Marjan Rynkiewicz]

Lets assume that Knott did not stuff up. In that case........
(1)  Where did the bullet that passed throo jfk end up? What did it hit (end up) after it exited jfk?
             Knott proved beyond any doubt that the slug was made of ice & melted.

Knott's analysis is based on the shot through JFK at z223-225.  It shows that the bullet could not have struck JBC in the right armpit.

It would be interesting to see what their analysis would show if the shot occurred at z193-195, which is a better fit with all the evidence.

At that point JBC is turned to the right. Also, the right to left angle from the SN is greater than at z223-225. It appears to be at least 13. degrees and goes to JBC's left side. So it could have hit JBC on the left side after exiting JFK.

Yes. I steered clear of adding an additional dot-point before my (1), ie a say (0) that the shot that passed throo jfk had to have caused some damage,
...... (0)(a) damage to Connally, &/or
...... (0)(b) damage to the limo.

I suppose that an answer to my (0)(a) &or (0)(b) might be that the exiting slug did not have enuff speed to do any damage.
In which case i would ask.....  then where is that slug? In which case an answer might be that.........
.............. that slug was the slug found in the jfklimo by Landis, or
.............. that it was the slug that was found in the jfklimo on the night of the autopsy at Bethseda, or
............... that the slug had enuff speed to bounce out into Elm St (Hargis did say that a slug bounced offa his motorbike fender).

I doubt that Z193-195 is a better fit with all the evidence.
Firstly, Oswald's shot-2 was at Z218 (or Z219 at latest).
Nextly, an earlier shot at Z193-195 needs a steeper vertical slug angle (compared to Z196-230). And i think that a steeper vertical angle makes Knotts' alignment problem worse (i think they had the SBT at Z223).
But i agree that the nett right-to-left horizontal angle from the SN (for Z193-195) is greater than for a later shot (ie is a better fit with all of the evidence), koz Elm St is gradually curving to the left as the limo goes further down the hill.

[Andrew Mason]

Firstly, Oswald's shot-2 was at Z218 (or Z219 at latest).
Nextly, an earlier shot at Z193-195 needs a steeper vertical slug angle (compared to Z196-230). And i think that a steeper vertical angle makes Knotts' alignment problem worse (i think they had the SBT at Z223).
But i agree that the nett right-to-left horizontal angle from the SN (for Z193-195) is greater than for a later shot (ie is a better fit with all of the evidence), koz Elm St is gradually curving to the left as the limo goes further down the hill.

I am not sure what makes you conclude that the shot was at z218.

Here is some of the evidence of a first shot striking JFK just before z202:

1. Motorcade witnesses said that the VP car had just completed the turn and the VP security car had turned 90 degrees of the 120 degree turn and was along side the TSBD. The VP car is still turning when last seen at z181
.
2. Hugh Betzner said he took his z186 photo and began to wind his camera to take another when the first shot sounded.

3. Linda Willis said that JFK was passing between her and the Stemmons sign when the first shot sounded. JFK was in that line of sight between about z195 and z205.

4. Phil Willis said his z202 photo was taken a fraction of a second after the first shot and caused him to press the shutter.

5. In the Secret Service film made 10 days after the assassination the JFK stand-in is visible through the leaves while passing beneath the oak tree and is completely clear as he passes the lamppost and before he reaches the Thornton Freeway sign He was opposite the Thornton sign at z200.

6. Mary Woodward, standing opposite the President at about z192 said the first "horrible ear-shattering  noise" occurred just as he passed by.

7. Other witnesses farther along Elm St. such as Karan Hicks, Gloria Calvary, Carol Reed and Karrn Westbrook said the President's car was almost directly in front of them when the first shot sounded.

8. SA Jack Ready in the right front running board of the QM said he immediately turned to the rear when he heard the first shot.  He begins his turn releasing his right hand from the front hand-hold at z199.

9. T.E. Moore said the president had reached the Thornton sign when the first shot sounded. JFK was in that position at z200.

10. The shot pattern recalled by over 40 witnesses puts the relative spacing 1......2...3 with a longer pause between the first and second and the last two in rapid succession. That is over six seconds if the last two were 2 seconds apart.

[Marjan Rynkiewicz]

I am not sure what makes you conclude that the shot was at z218.

Here is some of the evidence of a first shot striking JFK just before z202:

1. Motorcade witnesses said that the VP car had just completed the turn and the VP security car had turned 90 degrees of the 120 degree turn and was along side the TSBD. The VP car is still turning when last seen at z181
.
2. Hugh Betzner said he took his z186 photo and began to wind his camera to take another when the first shot sounded.

3. Linda Willis said that JFK was passing between her and the Stemmons sign when the first shot sounded. JFK was in that line of sight between about z195 and z205.

4. Phil Willis said his z202 photo was taken a fraction of a second after the first shot and caused him to press the shutter.

5. In the Secret Service film made 10 days after the assassination the JFK stand-in is visible through the leaves while passing beneath the oak tree and is completely clear as he passes the lamppost and before he reaches the Thornton Freeway sign He was opposite the Thornton sign at z200.

6. Mary Woodward, standing opposite the President at about z192 said the first "horrible ear-shattering  noise" occurred just as he passed by.

7. Other witnesses farther along Elm St. such as Karan Hicks, Gloria Calvary, Carol Reed and Karrn Westbrook said the President's car was almost directly in front of them when the first shot sounded.

8. SA Jack Ready in the right front running board of the QM said he immediately turned to the rear when he heard the first shot.  He begins his turn releasing his right hand from the front hand-hold at z199.

9. T.E. Moore said the president had reached the Thornton sign when the first shot sounded. JFK was in that position at z200.

10. The shot pattern recalled by over 40 witnesses puts the relative spacing 1......2...3 with a longer pause between the first and second and the last two in rapid succession. That is over six seconds if the last two were 2 seconds apart.

Your reference to 9. re Moore is wrong. Moore did not say that shot-1 was at the Thornton sign, Moore said that it was when the jfklimo was near the small highway markers near the overhead signals. The reference to the Thornton sign was inserted by the FBI.
In any case, my reason for shot-2 being at Z218 is that that frame accords with the reactions of jfk & Connally.
In addition, Z218 accords with Lattimer's 1994 lapel flip tests, as i explain in that thread. The 1963 lapel flip is at Z224, & the 1994 lapel flip test tells me that the 1963 shot was 6 frames earlier, ie at Z218, But i would be ok with Z219 at latest.