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13th Juror Podcast
The Prosecution of Jack Ruby
00:22:37
After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the world searched for answers until Jack Ruby stepped out of a crowded police basement and killed Lee Harvey Oswald on live television. Was he a grieving patriot overcome with emotion or a man who deliberately silenced the accused assassin before he could stand trial?
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- [00:01]
Brandy Churchwell
Since he got out, bad things keep happening.
- [00:06]
Podcast Advertiser/USAA Announcer
Cape Fear, a new series, is streaming June 5 on Apple TV. Why would I want to hurt you? Why? Starring Academy Award winner Javier Bardem. Why? And Academy Award nominee Amy Adams.
- [00:21]
Brandy Churchwell
He is coming after my family.
- [00:27]
Podcast Advertiser/USAA Announcer
Kate Fear. Streaming June 5th on Apple TV.
- [00:30]
Brandy Churchwell
If you, your parent or spouse served in the military, you could join our family. Our members saved an average of $70 a month on auto insurance when they switched. Tap the banner or visit usaa.com join today to check your eligibility. Restrictions apply. On November 22, 1963, shots rang out in downtown Dallas, Texas, as President John F. Kennedy's motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza. At first, the sound didn't really register, a sharp pop that some mistook for a car backfiring. But within seconds it became clear that something was very wrong. Secret Service agents acted instantly. The presidential limousine sped away, racing toward Parkland Hospital, while people along the route tried to make sense of what they had just witnessed. By the end of the day, that uncertainty was replaced with confirmation the President of the United States had been assassinated. In the hours that followed, the country mourned as it searched for answers. And by nightfall, police had arrested a 24 year old former Marine named Lee Harvey Oswald. Over the next two days, he became the focus of an intense and highly visible investigation. Cameras captured nearly every moment as he was escorted through Dallas police headquarters, surrounded by officers and pressed by reporters demanding answers. Who was he? Why did he do it? Was he working alone? The questions were still hanging in the air on the morning of Nov. 24, when officers prepared to transfer Oswald to the county jail. The basement of the Dallas Police Department was packed, law enforcement coordinating the move, reporters crowding in with cameras rolling live, all focused on the man at the center of it all. And then something shifted. From within that crowd, a man stepped forward. He wasn't part of the transfer team and wasn't a member of the press. He was a nightclub owner, a familiar face in Dallas, someone known to local police and often seen around the station. His name was Jack Ruby. In a single sudden movement, he stepped out of the crowd, raised a gun and fired. The shot echoed through the basement as Oswald collapsed, the moment unfolding live on national television. And just like that, the man at the center of the most shocking crime in American history was gone. Oswald's death permanently altered the course of history. It eliminated the possibility of a full public trial and fueled decades of speculation and conspiracy theories. The shooting stunned the nation not just because it silenced the accused assassin of a sitting president, but because but because it happened in full public view. But the questions didn't disappear with Oswald's death. If anything, they only multiplied. Because now this wasn't just the story of a president who had been assassinated. It was the story of the man who silenced the only voice that could explain it. The prosecution says this case is simple and the footage speaks for itself. The defense says the truth is far more complex than it appears. But it's the jurors who have the final say. This is the 13th juror podcast where we break down real court cases and put you in the juror's seat. Two sides, the same evidence. You decide what to believe. I'm your host, Brandy Churchwell. Today's episode is Texas versus Jack Ruby, Part one. The prosecution. Jack Ruby wasn't the kind of man you would expect to be standing at the center of one of the most pivotal moments in American history. He was a Dallas nightclub owner, a familiar face around the city. Someone who knew people, talked to people, and lingered on the edges of law enforcement and the media. Born Jacob Rubenstein, Jack grew up in a tough part of Chicago before eventually making his way to Texas. He had a reputation for being impulsive, emotional, and at times volatile. But on the surface, he appeared to be just a small time businessman. He was well known to the Dallas Police Department, in part because of his clubs. He often hired off duty officers to work security and was known to hand out free passes to members of law enforcement. But he was also known for supporting them. He had organized fundraisers for officers families, donated his own money, and even stepped in during at least one incident where an officer was being physically attacked. Reporters knew him too. He was a regular at the Dallas Morning News and other publications, placing ads promoting events and staying connected to what was happening around the city. He wasn't powerful, but he was always present. The kind of man who inserted himself into conversations and made sure he was part of whatever was happening. And in the days following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, everything was happening in Dallas. Police activity was constant. The city was flooded with reporters. And in 1963, the relationship between law enforcement and the press looked very different than it does today. Access was looser. Reporters were often allowed much closer to active investigations, moving through spaces that would now be tightly controlled. That access meant they weren't just observing the story, they were part of it. And when Lee Harvey Oswald was brought in front of reporters at Dallas police headquarters, they were able to directly shout questions to him. And it was during these exchanges that Oswald denied everything he said he hadn't shot anyone and insisted, I'm just a patsy. In a moment when the country was desperate for answers, Oswald's words only deepened the uncertainty and fueled speculation. The exchanges were chaotic. Shouted questions, overlapping voices and short, sometimes defiant answers. And somehow, in the middle of all that chaos, Jack Ruby was there. He was seen around police headquarters, interacting with officers and moving through areas that weren't open to the general public, including the spaces where Oswald was being brought out in front of the press. Then, on Sunday, November 24, 1963, just two days after his arrest, Oswald was set to be transferred from the Dallas Police Department to the county jail. The moment was broadcast live and the world watched as Jack Ruby stepped out from the crowd of reporters and shot Oswald at point blank range. Jack Ruby was arrested and charged with the murder. He pleaded not guilty, raising an insanity defense. And just over three months later, his trial began. Typically, a trial opens with each side laying out their case, giving the jury a roadmap of what they believe happened and how they intend to prove it. But in this case, the prosecution made a rare strategic decision. They waived their opening statement and moved straight into the evidence, choosing to let the footage and testimony speak for themselves and build the case in real time according to the evidence and testimony they presented. This is the prosecution's story.
- [08:20]
Podcast Advertiser/USAA Announcer
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- [08:36]
Brandy Churchwell
Since he got out, bad things keep happening.
- [08:41]
Podcast Advertiser/USAA Announcer
Keep fear. A new series is streaming June 5th on Apple TV. Why would I want to hurt you? Starring Academy Award winner Javier Bardem. Why? And Academy Award nominee Amy Adams.
- [08:57]
Brandy Churchwell
He is coming after my family.
- [09:02]
Podcast Advertiser/USAA Announcer
Cape fear. Streaming June 5th on Apple TV.
- [09:11]
Brandy Churchwell
According to the state, the story of what happened didn't begin in that basement on Sunday. They took the jury back two days earlier to Friday, November 22, 1963 and walked through what they described as a pattern that had already begun to take shape. That morning began with a sense of excitement. As Dallas was preparing for the motorcade, crowds gathered and people lined the streets, all waiting to catch a glimpse of the President as he passed through the city. At the same time, Jack Ruby was at the Dallas Morning News placing an advertisement for his nightclub so it would run in Saturday's paper. He sat at a desk going over the details with an employee named John Newman. While they were talking, word started moving through the building that something had happened. At first, the reports were unclear. Information came in fragments, passed quickly from one person to another, with early reports suggesting there had been a shooting involving a Secret Service agent. But then the story changed. It wasn't an agent. It was the President. People nearby made their way to an office with a television gathering to watch the coverage as it came in. Jack stood with them, watching the news unfold in real time. Newman later testified that Jack seemed to take the news pretty hard. He used the phone there to call his sister, who was crying as they talked about what was happening. At one point, he said, Jack was standing motionless, as if in a daze, staring off into the distance, not saying anything. Around 1:30pm Jack left the Dallas Morning News office. Less than an hour and a half after the President was shot, police already had the suspect in custody. Lee Harvey oswald, a former U.S. marine, had shot President Kennedy around 12:30pm Less than an hour later, he also shot and killed a Dallas police officer named J.D. tippett. Oswald was then arrested at the Texas Theater and taken to the Dallas Police Station Homicide Department to be questioned. Outside of the Homicide Department, the corridor at police headquarters had become the center of everything. The hallways were closed to the public, but were packed with reporters and camera crews. Wires stretched across the floor, bright lights cutting through the space as people moved in every direction, all of them trying to keep up with the story that was still unfolding. And somehow, in the middle of it all, Jack Ruby was there. One reporter would later describe, watching as Jack slipped past security by walking alongside two reporters, blending in with them as they pushed their way through. As officials came in and out, giving brief updates before disappearing back behind closed doors, reporters scrambled to take notes and make sense of who was who. Jack began talking to the reporters, working to fill in those gaps. He explained names, identified officials and and answered questions from out of town. Journalists who didn't know the players, stepping in as if it were his role to guide them through it. And when someone finally asked Jack what he was doing there, he simply said he was helping the reporters. As the night went on, prosecutors argued that Jack began looking for a way to get even closer to where the investigation was actually happening. Specifically, the Homicide Department where Lee Harvey Oswald was being questioned. According to their timeline, Jack left the station and went to a local deli to have some sandwiches made. He then called a homicide detective and offered to bring the sandwiches in for the officers working the case, acknowledging that they had been working countless hours, likely without a break. The detective who answered told Jack there was no need. They had already eaten. But according to prosecutors, Jack didn't give up there. About an hour later, around 11:30pm District Attorney Henry Wade was set to have Oswald brought into the basement assembly room at Dallas Police headquarters where reporters had already gathered, waiting for answers. When Oswald was brought in, the room tightened, cameras rolled, flashbulbs went off, and questions were shouted from every direction. As he stood there, flanked by officers, he denied the accusations, telling reporters he hadn't shot anyone and that he was being framed, calling himself just a patsy before being led back out. And there in the crowd of reporters, was Jack. Witnesses said he had climbed onto a desk near the back of the room, holding a notebook and pencil, positioning himself as if he were part of the press. When someone asked what he was doing there, he joked that he had brought sandwiches, then added that for that night he was a reporter, lifting his notebook and pencil as if to show it. After officers took Lee Harvey Oswald back out of the press room, Jack made a call to radio station KLIF and spoke with reporter Glenn Duncan. He told him he was at City hall and had a stack of sandwiches he had picked up for the news team, offering to bring them by. Before hanging up, Jack even passed the phone to District Attorney Henry Wade, allowing Duncan to conduct an impromptu interview. Not long after Jack showed up at the station with those same sandwiches, he told Duncan about being caught up in the rush of people and commotion as Oswald was brought into that room, how it was all unfolding around him and how there was something about being in the middle of something that mattered so much to everyone that seemed to stay with him. He stayed for more than half an hour, talking with Duncan, then listening as the 2am news broadcast went on, lingering in the middle of it all before eventually leaving. Over the next 24 hours, other witnesses described seeing Jack again at police headquarters around reporters, offering information, pointing people to where they might get footage and continuing to place himself inside the story as it unfolded. Meanwhile, word began to spread that Lee Harvey Oswald was going to be transferred to the county jail. The move was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon around 4pm and by that time, crowds had already started to gather. One officer assigned to crowd control testified that he saw Jack in that crowd, positioned near the entrance to the jail, waiting along with everyone else. But the transfer never happened. Plans changed, and the move was pushed to the following day. By Sunday morning, the basement of the Dallas Police Department was already filled with media waiting for the transfer. The setup was in place, and officers had a plan. An armored truck would be brought in as a decoy while Oswald would be moved in a squad car positioned behind it. Upstairs, Oswald was being prepared. His hands were cuffed and a second set of handcuffs secured him to one of the officers assigned to escort him. He was led out of the captain's office and down the hallway toward the jail elevator, surrounded by police as they moved toward the basement. When they reached the lower level, officers lined the walls. Floodlights trained directly on the path ahead. The squad car was being backed into position. Reporters and camera crews were scattered throughout the space, watching closely, broadcasting live as the moment unfolded. And then, without warning, Jack Ruby stepped out from the crowd. He moved forward, raised a gun and fired a single shot into Oswald's abdomen. Oswald collapsed immediately, pulling the officer cuffed to him down as well. Within seconds, other officers rushed in, grabbing Jack and wrestling him to the ground as chaos erupted around them. Oswald lay on the floor, groaning in pain before being rushed back inside. As an ambulance was called, he was transported to Parkland Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:07pm at trial, prosecutors returned to that moment. They brought in a projector, dimmed the lights, then played the footage once again for the jury, slowed down frame by frame, showing Jack Ruby stepping forward from the crowd and firing the fatal shot.
- [17:10]
Podcast Advertiser/USAA Announcer
USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day. Like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With usaa, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a'@usaa.com bundle restrictions apply.
- [17:31]
Brandy Churchwell
In the moments that followed, officers moved quickly to secure the scene and take Jack Ruby into custody. Several were involved in the takedown, and in the immediate aftermath, they began trying to piece together exactly what had just happened. Many of those officers later testified at trial their accounts confirmed what the jury had already seen on film. Lee Harvey Oswald being shot by Jack Ruby. But they also described what they heard in those first moments after the gunshot. One officer recalled hearing Jack say he hoped he had killed the SOB Another claimed Jack also stated that he had intended to shoot Oswald multiple times. But the officers moved too quickly and he was only able to fire once. Jack was carried back inside the station, where officers searched him for additional weapons, stripping him down to ensure he wasn't armed. As they began questioning him, several officers testified that he continued to speak in a way that suggested justification, making comments about how he couldn't let him get away with this and indicating he believed it was something that needed to be done. He also described how he had gotten into the basement. According to testimony, Jack said he approached the entrance near the car ramp just as an officer was pulling out in a squad car, allowing him to slip past without being stopped. He acknowledged that someone called out to him as he entered, but said he kept going anyway. The prosecution argued that this was not the result of confusion or impulse, but a deliberate, calculated decision. They pointed to testimony that Jack himself said the idea had taken hold earlier. That when he saw Oswald in front of the press on Friday night, he focused on what he later described as a sarcastic scene sneer and in that moment decided that if he ever had the chance, he would kill him. They argued. The reasoning didn't stop there. According to officers, Jack also spoke about what would come next. A trial that would be long, highly publicized and emotionally draining for the country. He specifically referenced Jacqueline Kennedy, expressing that she would have to return to Dallas and endure it all over again. In his view, the outcome was already clear. Oswald would be convicted and likely face the death penalty. And because of that, Jack questioned the purpose of putting everyone through a prolonged trial. To the prosecution, that reasoning suggested not a break from reality, but an awareness of it. An ability to think through consequences and arrive at a conclusion, even if that conclusion led him to take matters into his own hands. To directly rebut the defense's insanity claim, the state introduced testimony from multiple medical professionals, including a psychologist from the Texas prison system who had personally evaluated Jack. Their opinions all aligned. Jack understood the difference between right and wrong. He was aware of the nature of his actions, and he understood the consequences at the time he fired the shot. Taken together, the state argued, this was not the behavior of a man incapable of control or comprehension. It was the behavior of someone who made a decision, one he believed was justified and then carried it out. In closing, prosecutors told the jury that Jack Ruby wanted them to believe this was an act of love. Love for the president, for his country, and out of respect for the John F. Kennedy family. But they pointed out that Jack didn't even go see the presidential motorcade that day, even though it passed just blocks away from where he was. They argued the evidence didn't point to a man who was so devoted that he was overcome with grief. The evidence pointed somewhere else. Because throughout this case, they said, the jury had seen a consistent pattern, not just once, but repeatedly. Jack Ruby placing himself at the center of events, moving toward the action, finding ways into spaces where he didn't belong. It wasn't one moment. It was a series of them. At the Dallas Morning News, at police headquarters, in the hallway outside the homicide department, in the press room, around Reporters around officers. Each time, according to the state, getting a little closer to Lee Harvey Oswald. And taken together, they argued, that pattern told a clear story. This wasn't about grief. It wasn't about being overwhelmed in a single moment. It was about positioning, about inserting himself into the situation until the opportunity was there. And when that opportunity came, he acted. The prosecution told the jury that no matter what Oswald had been accused of, he was still entitled to due process, to stand trial and have the evidence against him tested in a court of law. But Jack took that process into his own hands. In that moment, they said, he took it upon himself to become the judge, the jury, and the executioner and now stood before a jury of his own, asking for the very protections he had denied somebody else. With the state's case closed next week, we turn to the defense. They tell a very different story, one rooted not in calculation, but in overwhelming grief. They argue that in the days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Jack was so emotionally and psychologically compromised that he no longer knew right from wrong. And they bring in doctors along with advanced medical testing to try to prove it. But the question is, will the jury believe them? And even after that verdict is reached, the case doesn't end there. Because what happened next is something far more rare. A court stepping in to overturn a jury's decision and the ripple effects that followed. Then we're going to zoom out and look at this case. Because the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald didn't just end a life. It changed the course of history. It fueled decades of speculation, questions that still linger today. And one persistent theory that refuses to go away. Was Jack Ruby really acting alone? Or was he silencing the only man who. Who could have told the world what really happened? Thirteenth Juror is an audio Chuck production hosted by Brandi Churchwell. Ashley Flowers is executive producer. You can follow 13th Juror on Instagram @Thirteenth Juror podcast. I think Chuck would approve.