Eyewitness Testimony In Dealey Plaza For The Hous

As to the direction the shots came from, the witnesses were undeniably divided. To explain this, it is important to understand not only the fragile nature of eyewitness testimony-particularly during moments of highly elevated stress, but also problems with eyewitness descriptions of gunfire in particular, as well as difficulties raised by specific conditions at the scene of the crime. The authoritative textbook, Firearms Investigation Identification and Evidence, states, "It is extremely difficult to tell the direction [from which a shot was fired] by the sound of discharge of a firearm." The authors go on to note that "little credence" should be placed in such testimony.15 Not only that, but as Charles Manson-prosecutor and later JFK-assassination author Vincent Bugliosi puts it, "Dealey Plaza resounds with echoes, the multistory buildings on the north, south, and east sides making it a virtual echo chamber."16 Some eyewitnesses referred to the echoes in their testimony, and "strong reverberations and echoes" were later noted by a bioacoustics expert conducting experiments in Dealey Plaza for the

In statements to the press that weekend and in their Warren Commission testimony, many of these medical professionals made observations indicative-some strongly so-of shots from the President 's front rather than the rear. For example, some described a massive blowout to the rear of the head, rather than the right frontforward of the ear-where the autopsy report placed it. The wound in the Presidents throat was also referred to by some as an entrance wound, not the exit wound the autopsy pathologists determined it to be. Surely, the reasoning goes, these highly trained and experienced professionals could not all be