Landis, Reiner to Highlight JFK at 60 Symposium

His presentation is part of the Cyril Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law’s 22nd annual symposium, The JFK Assassination at 60: New Frontiers in Scientific, Medical, Legal and Historical Research. The event, which runs through Nov. 17, will convene experts from a variety of fields, along with lay researchers, to further advance how and why JFK died, and why it still matters today.

“Independent and some former government investigators from around the world, including scientists, physicians, attorneys and educators, continue to advance research ranging from criminalistic analysis of the events in Dealey Plaza to Oswald’s identity and associations,” said Ben Wecht, program director of the institute. “The symposium will offer a dynamic and comprehensive look at one of the most controversial and enduring events in U.S. history.”

In his new book, The Final Witness, Landis, 88, wrote that he took a bullet from the car after Kennedy was shot and placed it on the president’s stretcher. Far from a minor, forgotten detail, it challenges the theory espoused by the Warren Commission that one of the bullets fired at the president’s limousine – the so-called “Magic Bullet” – hit not only Kennedy but also Texas Governor John B. Connally, Jr., who was riding with him.

In addition to his presentation, Landis will join Duquesne President Ken Gormley and renowned forensic scientist and institute founder Dr. Cyril Wecht for a panel discussion exploring these revelations in the context of forensic analysis.

The symposium will also include a presentation from actor and producer Alec Baldwin, a longtime amateur student of the case who had developed an MSNBC special on the subject in 2013, on why the JFK assassination is still relevant, and a Zoom Q&A session with actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner, who is releasing a podcast, Who Killed JFK?, next month. 

Other presenters include former private investigator Josiah Thompson, author of the seminal 1967 study, Six Seconds in Dallas; photographic analyst Robert Groden, who has written extensively about JFK conspiracy theories and will present on the authenticity of the Zapruder film; and journalist David Talbot, founder of the web magazine Salon and author of Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, among other books.

Continuing education credits for attorneys, coroners and physicians are available through the institute. For more information and to register for the conference, visit the Wecht Institute site.

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