The magic cigarette package

[Steve Thomas]

1:26

550/2 (Sgt. G.L. Hill). I'm at Twelfth and Beckley now. Have a man in the car with me that can identify the suspect if anybody gets him.

 

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/hill_gl.htm

 

Mr. BELIN. ...at 1:26 p.m., between 1:26 p.m., and 1:32 p.m., there was a call from No. 19 to 531.

Was that you?
Mr. HILL. That was Owens.
Mr. BELIN. Were you calling in at all?
Mr. HILL. No. That is Bud Owens.
Mr. BELIN. You had left Owens' car at this time?
Mr. HILL. I left Owens' car and had 105 (Poe's) car at this time.

 

1:34

221 (Patrolman H.W. Summers). Might can give you some additional information. I got an eye-ball witness to the get-away man. That suspect in this shooting is a white male, twenty-seven, five feet eleven, a hundred sixty-five, black wavy hair, fair complected...And he was apparently armed with a 32 dark-finish automatic pistol which he had in his right hand.

 

550/2 (Gerald Hill). The shells at the scene indicate that the suspect is armed with an automatic 38, rather than a pistol.

 

 

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/hill_gl.htm

 

Mr. BELIN. Okay, go ahead, Sergeant Hill.

 

Mr. Hill. ...The first man that came up to me, he said, "The man that shot him was a white male about 5'10", weighing 160 to 170 pounds, had on a Jacket and a pair of dark trousers, and brown bushy hair.”

Mr. BELIN. Now, let me interrupt you here, sergeant. Do you remember the name of the person that gave you the description?
Mr. HILL. No. I turned him over to Poe, and I didn't even get his name.

Why doesn't Poe say anything about receiving this witness from Hill either in his after-action report, or in his WC testimony?

 

Why are Summers and Hill the only two police officers to indicate that the suspect was armed with an automatic rather than a revolver?

 

Why are Summers and Hill the only two police officers who describe the suspect as being in the neighborhood of 5'10” inches or so and around 165 lbs?

In his after-action report, Poe wrote that it was Helen Markham who told him that the suspect was around 5'10", but no weight was given.

DPD Archives Box 7, Folder# 2, Item# 36

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box7.htm

 

Who were the eyewitnesses that Summers and Hill were relying on for information?

 

Why did these two eyewitnesses disappear from the record?

 

Steve Thomas

[David Josephs]

3 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

Why did these two eyewitnesses disappear from the record?

Summers, Poe & "L E JEZ"

I see the POE witness as Benavidas...   (there is nothing from JEZ that I could find about Tippit, only the Oswald killing)

Mr. BELIN - Did he ever take you to the police station and ask you if you could identify him? 
Mr. BENAVIDES - No; they didn't. 
Mr. BELIN - You used the name Oswald. How did you know this man was Oswald? 
Mr. BENAVIDES - From the pictures I had seen. It looked like a guy, resembled the guy. That was the reason I figured it was Oswald. 
Mr. BELIN - Were they newspaper pictures or television pictures, or both, or neither? 
Mr. BENAVIDES - Well, television pictures and newspaper pictures. The thing lasted about a month, I believe, it seemed like.

Mr. BELIN - Anything else you can think of about the man after you saw him? What was he wearing? What did he look like? 
Mr. BENAVIDES - Well, he was kind of, well, just about your size. 
Mr. BELIN - About my size? I am standing up. 
Mr. BENAVIDES - You are about 5' 10"? 
Mr. BELIN - I am between 5' 10" and 5' 11". Closer to 5' 11", I believe. 
Mr. BENAVIDES - I would say he was about your size, and he had a light-beige jacket, and was lightweight. 

 

Poe's other witness must be Markham...   Poe also neglects mentioning that he gave the hulls to HILL.

I believe Hill creates one set of pistol/hull evidence with BARNES/POE creating another....

 

 

These are the logs.... Sawyer from Brennan gives the physical description, except his testimony does not match the transcript...   

Mr. BELIN. Then the reply to you, "Any clothing description?" 
Mr. SAWYER. "Current witness can't remember that." 
Mr. BELIN. Then the statement is made sometime before 12:45 p.m., and after the 12:43 p.m., call, "Attention all squads, description was broadcast and no further information at this time." 

Mr. BELIN. Now the next time that No. 9 appears is at what time? 
Mr. SAWYER. Immediately after 12:43 and before 12:45. 
Mr. BELIN. What did you say then? 
Mr. SAWYER. "The wanted person in this is a slender white male about 30, 5 feet 10, 165, carrying what looks to be a 30-30 or some type of Winchester." 

Mr. SAWYER. That description came to me mainly from one witness who claimed to have seen the rifle barrel in the fifth or sixth floor of the building, and claimed to have been able to see the man up there. 
Mr. BELIN. Do you know this person's name? 
Mr. SAWYER. I do not.   
Mr. BELIN. Do you know anything about him, what he was wearing? 
Mr. SAWYER. Except that he was--I don't remember what he was wearing. I remember that he was a white man and that he wasn't young and he wasn't old. He was there. That is the only two things that I can remember about him. 
Mr. BELIN. What age would you categorize as young? 
Mr. SAWYER. Around 35 would be my best recollection of it, but it could be a few years either way. 
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember if he was tall or short, or can't you remember anything about him? 
Mr. SAWYER. I can't remember that much about him. I was real hazy about that. 
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember where he said he was standing when he saw the person with the rifle? 
Mr. SAWYER. I didn't go into detail with him except that from the best of my recollection, he was standing where he could have seen him. But there were too many people coming up with questions to go into detail. I got the description and sent him on over to the Sheriff's Office. 
Mr. BELIN. Inspector, do you remember anything else about this person who you say gave you the primary description? 
Mr. SAWYER. No, I do not, except that I did send him with an escort to the Sheriff's Office to give fuller or more complete detail. 
Mr. BELIN. Do you know if he was taken there to see a lineup at the police station? 
Mr. SAWYER. No. 
Mr. BELIN. Did you ever see him again? 
Mr. SAWYER. Not to my knowledge. 

Mr. BELIN. And then what happened, sir? 
Mr. BRENNAN. He said, "just a minute." And he had to give some orders or something on the east side of the building on Houston Street. And then he had taken me to, I believe, Mr. Sorrels, an automobile sitting in front of the Texas Book Store. 
Mr. BELIN. And then what happened there? 
Mr. BRENNAN. I related my information and there was a few minutes of discussion, and Mr. Sorrels had taken me then across the street to the sheriff's building. 
Mr. BELIN. Did you describe the man that you saw in the window? 
Mr. BRENNAN. Yes; I believe I did. 

Mr. BELIN. Could you describe the man you saw in the window on the sixth floor? 
Mr. BRENNAN. To my best description, a man in his early thirties, fair complexion, slender but neat, neat slender, possibly 5-foot 10. 
Mr. BELIN. About what weight? 
Mr. BRENNAN. Oh, at--I calculated, I think, from 160 to 170 pounds. 
Mr. BELIN. A white man? 
Mr. BRENNAN. Yes. 
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember what kind of clothes he was wearing? 
Mr. BRENNAN. Light colored clothes, more of a khaki color. 
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember the color of his hair? 
Mr. BRENNAN. No. 

 

12:44			12:44	Dispatcher	9, any clothing description?
12:44			12:44	9 (Inspector J.H. Sawyer)	About 30, 5'10", 165 pounds.
12:44 Count			12:44 Count
12:45	Dispatcher	Attention Elm and Houston is reported to be an unknown white male, all squads. Attention all squads. The suspect in the shooting at approximately thirty, slender build, height five feet ten inches, weight one hundred sixty-five pounds, reported to be armed with what is thought to be a 30 caliber rifle. Attention all squads. The suspect from Elm and Houston is reported to be an unknown white male about thirty, slender build, five feet ten inches tall, one hundred sixty-five pounds, armed with what is thought to be a 30-30 rifle. No further description at this time, or information. 12:45.	12:45	Dispatcher	Attention all squads, the suspect in the shooting at Elm and Houston is supposed to be an unknown white male, approximately 30, 165 pounds, slender build, armed with what is thought to be a 30-30 rifle, - repeat, unknown white male, approximately 30, 165 pounds, slender build. No further description at this time or information, 12:45 p.m.
12:45	233 (Ptm. J.T. Fortsen)	233	12:45	15 (Capt. C.E. Talbert)	Could 9 determine whether man was supposed to have been still in the building or was he supposed to have left?
12:45	35 (Ptm. J.M. Lewis)	35 clear.	12:45	Dispatcher	I didn't know for sure and the witnesses didn't have the description, but we have got that building surrounded by now and we should know something before long.
12:45		66 clear.	12:45	9 (Inspector J.H. Sawyer)	On this building, it's unknown whether he is still in the building or not known if he was there in the first place.
12:45		What's he wanted for?	12:45	531 (Sergeant G.D. Henslee)	Well, all the information we have receive, 9, indicates that it did come from about the 5th or 4th floor of that building.
12:45	Dispatcher	Signal 19, involving the President.	12:45	5 (Deputy Chief of Police George L. Lumpkin)	What building?
12:45	233 (Ptm. J.T. Fortsen)	233	12:45	Dispatcher	The Texas School Book and Depository Building, 5, at Elm and Houston.

 

 

[Steve Thomas]

Gerald Hill, the luckiest man alive.

 

Gerald Hill went looking for a 5'8”, 160 lb guy with bushy brown hair, and by gum, durned if he didn't find one.

 

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/hill_gl.htm

 

Mr. HILL. We were standing there with Inspector Sawyer and Assistant District Attorney Bill Alexander came up to us, and we had been standing there for a minute when we heard the strange voice on the police radio that said something to the effect that, if I remember right, either the first call that came out said that they were in the 400 block of East Jefferson, and that an officer had been shot, and the voice on the radio, whoever it was, said he thought he was dead.

 

This call went out at 1:16

 

Mr. Hill. And prior, on our way to the location from the city hall, a description had been broadcast of a possible suspect in the assassination.
With the description, as I remember, it was a white male, 5'8" 160 pounds,... and sort of bushy brown hair.

 

The first man that came up to me, he said, "The man that shot him was a white male about 5'10", weighing 160 to 170 pounds,... and brown bushy hair."

 

1:19

Dispatcher. Suspect running west on Jefferson from the location. No physical description.

 

1:22

85 (Ptm. R.W. Walker). We have a description on this suspect over here on Jefferson. Last seen about 300 block of East Jefferson. He's a white male, about thirty, five eight, (siren) black hair, slender,

 

1:24

Dispatcher. Wanted for investigation for assault to murder on a police officer: A white male; approximately thirty; about five foot eight; slender build; has black hair;

 

1:26

91. What was the description...?

Dispatcher. White male, thirty, five feet eight, black hair, slender build,

 

1:33

Unknown. . . clothing description on that suspect? (Siren)

Dispatcher. White male, thirty, height five foot eight, very slender build, black hair

 

1:34

221 (Ptm. H.W. Summers). Might can give you some additional information. I got an eye-ball witness to the get-away man. That suspect in this shooting is a white male, twenty-seven, five feet eleven, a hundred sixty-five, black wavy hair, fair complected...

 

 

'Course it's a shame that Hill couldn't share his stroke of luck with his eyewitness, since he sort of got away.

 

Steve Thomas

 

 

[Steve Thomas]

Were the spent shells from the revolver ever tested for fingerprints? I just don't remember.

The reason I ask is that Benavides told the WC that he had seen the shooter take 2 shells out of the gun and throw them.

He also told the the WC that he (Benavides) had picked one up and then dropped it back down in the grass.

When he gave the shells to Poe, why didn't Poe ask him where he got them?

Mr. BELIN - When the officers came out there, did you tell them what you had seen?
Mr. BENAVIDES - No, sir.
Mr. BELIN - What did you do?
Mr. BENAVIDES - I left right after. I give the shells to the officer. I turned around and went back and we returned to work.

Poe never asked, "Where did you get these"? and "How did they get there?"

 

Later that evening, around 4:00 PM, two officers came to see him....

"I was just trying to hide from the reporters and everything, and these two officers came around and asked me if I'd seen him, and I told him yes, and told them what I had seen..."

After knowing that Benavides had seen the suspect take two empty shells and throw them,  did they fingerprint the shells? Wouldn't that have established for sure that Oswald was there? Did they fingerprint Benavides?

Apparently they didn't fingerprint him.

Mr. BELIN - Did he ever take you to the police station and ask you if you could identify him?
Mr. BENAVIDES - No; they didn't.

Which means that he wasn't taken down to the station to be fingerprinted either as a means of eliminating him as a suspect.

 

Steve Thomas

 

 

[Steve Thomas]

I just read through the only mention of Benavides in the DPD Archives. It's a Report by James Leavelle.
DPD Archives Box 16, Folder# 12, Item# 6.
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It's dated the 22nd, and it had to have been written up after 6:30PM, because he mentions the 6:30 lineup.
Leavelle wrote, "Another witness who saw the officer laying in the street, but did not see the suspect was a Domingo Benavides..."
Leavelle wrote that Benavides found two shells and turned them over to Poe, who in turn, turned them over to Pete Barnes, who "dusted the car for prints".
Why didn't Barnes dust the shells for prints right then and there while he had his fingerprint dusting kit out?

Benavides told the WC that he told the officers who came to his house at 4:00 PM what he had seen.

Someone is lying through their teeth.

Steve Thomas