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In reply to the discussion: Justice for JFK [View all]HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Allegations regarding witness testimony and physical evidence
Only two Commission witnesses were identified as actually having seen the shooting, Helen Markham and Domingo Benavides. Joseph Ball, senior counsel to the Commission, has referred to Markham's testimony as "full of mistakes," and characterized her as an "utter screwball."[43]
Domingo Benavides initially said that he did not think he could identify the assailant and was never asked to view a police lineup,[44] even though he was the person closest to the killing.[45] Benavides later testified that that the killer resembled pictures he had seen of Oswald.[46] Other witnesses were taken to police lineups. However, these lineups have been criticized as flawed in that they consisted of people who looked very different from Oswald. In one case, the lineup was composed of five "young teenagers" and Oswald.[45][47]
Additionally, certain witnesses who did not appear before the Commission identified an assailant who was not Oswald. Both Acquilla Clemons and Frank Wright witnessed the scene from their respective homes, within one block of the murder. Clemons saw two men near Tippits car just before the shooting.[48] After the shooting, she ran outside and saw a man with a gun whom she described as "kind of heavy." He waved to the second man, urging him to "go on".[49] Frank Wright also emerged from his home and observed the scene seconds after the shooting. He described a man standing by Tippits body who had on a long coat, and who quickly ran to a car parked nearby and drove away.[5
Two of the cases were recovered by witness Domingo Benavides and turned over to police officer J.M. Poe. Poe told the FBI that he marked the shells with his own initials, "J.M.P." to identify them.[53] Sergeant Gerald Hill later testified to the Warren Commission that it was he who had ordered police officer Poe to mark the shells.[54] However, Poe's initials were not found on the shells produced by the FBI six months later.[53][55][56] Testifying before the Warren Commission, Poe said that although he recalled marking the cases, he "couldnt swear to it."[55][57] Poe later told researchers that he was absolutely certain that he had marked the shells.[58] The identification of the cartridge cases at the crime scene raises more questions. Sergeant Gerald Hill examined one of the shells and radioed the police dispatcher, saying: "The shell at the scene indicates that the suspect is armed with an automatic .38 rather than a pistol."[59] However, Oswald was reportedly arrested carrying a non-automatic .38 Special revolver.[51][60] The number of cartridge shells found at the crime scene raises further questions for some. Sergeant Gerald Hill, who took possession of Oswald's revolver upon his arrest, reported that the gun's six chambers were fully loaded with unspent cartridges and that Oswald had no ammunition on his person.[61]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Tippit#Allegations_regarding_witness_testimony_and_physical_evidence