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Revision as of 06:16, 8 August 2002 by Gareth Owen (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was arrested for the assassination of President Kennedy. The killing was shown live on national television, the first time such a thing happened in the United States.
There has been much debate about Ruby's motives. He claimed that he killed Oswald in order to save Jacqueline Kennedy from testifying in a murder trial. Other people suggest that he was carrying out a Mafia "hit," (there is some evidence to support his having strong crime syndicate links) or that he was part of a conspiracy to assassinate the president, and silenced Oswald to prevent him from testifying. Much suspicion is aroused by the fact that he was able to freely enter a supposedly secure area, armed with a pistol, minutes prior to the alleged assassin of the President of the United States being transferred out.
Ruby was tried and convicted for Oswald's murder, but the conviction was overturned on procedural grounds. He died of cancer in prison before he could be re-tried.