Deconstructing Bugliosi's "53 pieces of evidence"
The members of the cult of the WC often like to point to their prophet Bugliosi and his "53 pieces of evidence" supposedly pointing to Lee Oswald's guilt in the assassination of John Kennedy. If you examine the list, you'll find that 46 of them are not evidence at all, they are lawyer rhetoric and speculative confirmation bias. 4 items point to a particular weapon, not a person. 8 items are questionable or tainted in some way. Some items fall into more than one category.
Key:
NE - not evidence with regard to JFK's murder
PW - points to a weapon, not a shooter
TQ - tainted or questionable
1. Oswald went to Irving with Frazier on a Thursday - NE
2. Oswald told Frazier he was going to Irving to pick up some curtain rods - NE
3. Oswald told Frazier he wouldn't be going home with him on Friday - NE
4. Oswald was not chatty about Kennedy's upcoming Dallas visit on Thursday evening - NE
5. Oswald left behind his wedding ring and $170 - NE
6. Oswald placed a long, bulky package on the rear seat of Frazier's car - NE
7. Frazier said it was the first time Oswald did not bring his lunch - NE
8. Oswald walked ahead of Frazier to the building from the parking area - NE
9. Oswald did not read the newspaper in the domino room that morning - NE
10. Oswald asked Jarman why people were gathering outside and then which way the president was coming - NE
11. Howard Brennan told the FBI on December 18 that he was "sure" that Oswald was the man he had seen in the window, after initially failing to make a positive identification - TQ
12. We know that Kennedy’s assassin was at the subject sixth-floor window - NE (not even true)
13. Oswald slipped up and placed himself on the sixth floor at the time of the assassination - (this isn't even true)
Givens (over 4 months later) placed Oswald on the 6th floor at 11:55 - NE
Oswald (supposedly) preferred Dr Pepper to Coke - NE
14. Why would Oswald go up to get a Coke after hearing all the commotion? - NE
15. Oswald was apparently uninterested in watching the motorcade outside - NE
16. Oswald left work within minutes of the shooting - NE
17. Oswald walked east and got on a bus heading back toward the TSBD - NE
18. Oswald got off the bus after a few blocks - NE
19. Oswald wasn't chatty with the cab driver - NE
20. Oswald had the cab driver drop him off a few blocks past his rooming house - NE
21. Roberts said Oswald seemed to be in a hurry - NE
22. Oswald allegedly picked up his revolver at the rooming house - NE
23. Oswald allegedly changed some of his clothing at the rooming house - NE
24. Oswald was allegedly chosen by Markham (in the unfair lineup) as the one who killed Tippit - NE as far as JFK goes, TQ
25. Oswald looked funny to Brewer - NE
26. Oswald allegedly “ducked in” to the theater without buying a ticket - NE
27. According to McDonald, Oswald said "it's all over now" - NE
28. Oswald allegedly punched McDonald and reached for a gun in his waistband - NE
29. Oswald didn't sufficiently cooperate with police after arrest - NE
30. Oswald showed reporters his handcuffed hands and his fist was clenched - NE
31. Oswald supposedly refused to take a lie detector test - NE
32. Marina thought his eyes looked guilty - NE
33. Oswald's handwriting was supposedly found on a Klein's order coupon - TQ
34. The 2 large fragments supposedly found in the limo and CE399 were fired by C2766 - PW, TQ
35. The shells supposedly found by the window were fired by C2766 - PW
36. Two of Oswald's prints were found on a wrapper that was supposedly found by the window - NE
37. Oswald's prints were found on boxes near the window - NE
38. Oswald's handwriting was supposedly found on a Seaport Traders coupon for the CE143 revolver - NE as far as JFK goes, TQ
39. 1 of 8 firearms experts thought one Tippit bullet was fired from CE143 - TQ, PW, NE for JFK
40. Cartridge cases supposedly found near 10th and Patton were matched to CE143 - TQ, PW, NE for JFK
41. Paraffin test on Oswald’s hands indicated the presence of nitrates - TQ
42. Oswald supposedly left his blue jacket in the TSBD - NE
43. Police supposedly found a light-colored jacket in a Texaco parking lot - NE
44. A clipboard attributed to Oswald with unfilled orders was supposedly found on the 6th floor a week later - NE
45. Oswald allegedly denied purchasing the Carcano rifle - NE
46. Oswald allegedly questioned the authenticity of a backyard photograph - NE
47. Oswald allegedly said he had never seen the photograph before, but handwriting analysts said it was his writing on the DeMohrenschildt print that turned up 4 years later - NE
48. Oswald allegedly denied ever living at the Neely apartment - NE
49. Oswald allegedly denied telling Frazier he was getting curtain rods - NE
50. Oswald allegedly denied putting a long package on the backseat of Frazier's car - NE
51. Oswald allegedly told Fritz that the only package he brought to work contained his lunch - NE
52. Oswald (by Fritz's account) allegedly said he had lunch with Jarman and another employee, but Jarman said he did not have lunch with Oswald - NE
53. Oswald allegedly said he bought his handgun in Fort Worth - NE
