The Curious Lawyer: The Jack Ruby Trials, JFK’s Assassination, Oswald’s Murder, and the Insanity Defense
In 48 hours in Dallas in November 1963, JFK was assassinated, Oswald was arrested for his murder, and Oswald was then murdered in the prison lobby by Jack Ruby. The Jack Ruby trial sits often in the shadows of the larger JFK assassination issue. In this fascinating latest installment of the Curious Lawyer series, host Peter Afrasiabi takes you on an intriguing look at a variety of legal issues, from murder to premeditated murder standards. And we explore the insanity defense, as Ruby claimed he was overcome by grief at the murder of the President and just killed Oswald in a moment of insanity. At the same time, the case raises issues of venue and fair venues for high profile trials, an issue that affects us to this day. We won’t answer who killed JFK, but we will look at Ruby’s murder of Oswald and whether there was evidence that Ruby himself was part of a conspiracy to kill Oswald.