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Robert F Kennedy Assassination — Part 1
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This short prog{ .s report stated that ir 1e reconstruction
of the crime in prepdfation for the trial, a otographic album
containing 8x10 photographs of pertinent evidence had been
prepared. The photos included photographs of autopsy wounds and
photos, photos of bullets and fragments, and photos of money and
boxes of ammunition obtained from Sirhan's person at the time of
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* Additionally, the July 18, 1968 progress report stated that
the Ivor-Johnson, cadet model .22 caliber revolver serial H53725,
having been taken from Sirhan, had been identified (presumably by
Wolfer) as having fired the following bullets:
1. The bullet from Senator Kennedy's .sixth cervicai
vertebrae;
2. The bullet removed from victim Goldstein;
3. The bullet removed from victim Weisel.
The lab report stated that the remaining bullets were too
badly damaged for comparison purposes. However, the following
could be determined from the remaining four damaged bullets.
The bullet fragments removed from Senator Kennedy's head were
fired from a weapon with the same rifling specification as the
Sirhan weapon and were mini-mag brand ammunition. The actual
bullet which killed the Senator (People's Exhibit #48) was so badly
damaged upon its entry and fragmentation in the brain of the
Senator that this particular bullet could never be positively
identified, either by Wolfer in his 1968 analysis, or during the
1975 ballistics re-examination. It should be emphasized that the
actual murder bullet has never been scientifically linked with the
Sirhan weapon, and the conviction of Sirhan for the murder of
Robert Kennedy by the firing of the particular People's 43 was by
inferential and circumstantial evidence, including eye witness
testimony, and the matching characteristics of the several other
bullets to that of the fragments of People's 48. ;
The Wolfer lab progress report continued that the bullet
fragments from vietim Stroll, victim Evans, and victim Schrade all
were mini-mag brand ammunition. All eight shots had been fired at
the Ambassador Hotel and had been accounted for, and all but one
bullet had been recovered. The explanation given for the failure
to recover the eighth bullet fired from Sirhants weapon on the
night in question was that Wolfer and other L.A.P.D. officers had
conducted a thorough search of the hotel kitchen pantry area and
that the bullet was presumably "lost somewhere in the ceiling
structure."
The lab report continued that a Walkers H-acid Test conducted
on Senator Kennedy's coat indicated that the shot entering Senator
Kennedy's coat was fired at a muzzle distance of between one ard six
inches. Furthermore, powder tests conducted by Wolfer with with a
second .22 caliber gun indicated that the bullet which entered
behind Senator Kennedy's right ear was fired at a muzzle distance
of approximately one inch.
The progress report concluded that four hundred eighty-nine
(489) .22 caliber shells were examined and none of the shells were
found to have been fired from Sirhan's weapon. These shells had
been picked up by Michael Soccoman at the San Gabriel Valley Gun
Club. Socecoman had thought these shells may have been fired by
Sirhan as Soccoman had been firing on the rifle range on June 4, and
had seen Sirhan firing for several hours the same day - the day of
the asesacsination
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- 54 -
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