The Last Bullet (not) Standing

Click (here) for all exhibits

Again, I admonish the Reader to skip this Report if he/she isn’t blessed with a huge amount of smarts – you will really be wasting your time.

In the lengthy course of examining numerous official documents and records as well as examining the actual physical evidence, I discovered many instances of inexcusable wrongdoing, substitutions and outright fraud with the bullets and records in the Sirhan case.

What I will present in this Report are the troubling official records I discovered while researching the fatal bullet and bullet fragment that caused the death of Robert F. Kennedy. And these official records prove, beyond the slightest doubt, that Sirhan trial exhibit Peo. 48, the fatal bullet and small fragment (first recorded as Item # 24 and Item # 25), which was fraudulently received in evidence at the Sirhan trial as Item 26 and 27, is in fact an unknown, unproven bullet identification. Further, it totally lacks the requisite chain of custody. That is a true fact which Lowell Bradford, one of the 1975 seven Panel Members, confirmed to me in a letter in response to my highly critical charges.

Let us begin with the Los Angeles Police Department Property Report dated 6-5-68. And here we see the fatal bullet and a small bullet fragment were first identified as Item # 24 and Item # 25. (Reader, I suggest you closely examine this document)

Photographs taken at the California State Archives

On March 11, 1994, I hired criminalist Alan Gilmore to accompany me to the California State Archives then located in Roseville, Ca., for the purpose of photographing the Sirhan bullets along with the accompanying official documents.

This examination took place in a well secured and spotlessly clean examining room in the presence of a uniformed police officer, CSA staff, their assistants, criminalist Mr. Alan Gilmore and myself. The observers, Sirhan attorney Lawrence Teeter, Adel Sirhan, and Ted Charach viewed the proceedings through a large window outside the examining room.

There were several times when I interrupted the examination and opened the door and asked both Teeter and Adel Sirhan to briefly come in to the examining room to view several of the bullets which aroused my interest. After looking at these bullets they returned to the outside viewing area and the examination resumed.

What aroused my interest?

The Kennedy neck bullet sharply differed from the exacting description and drawing made by Los Angeles County Coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi. And, in addition I finally was going to examine GJ5B.

I wanted Teeter and Adel to see for themselves the condition of the non- fatal Kennedy neck bullet (Peo. 47) and its evidence envelope, along with the four Grand Jury test bullets (GJ 5B) and its evidence envelope

I carefully examined each photograph and soon noticed the evidence tag for the fatal Kennedy bullet was clearly altered. The number 26 was written over the number 24 with a heavier, darker ink and the number 27 was likewise written over the number 25 with a darker ink.

What followed next was my truly shocking discovery of the existence of a dual identity for Item numbers # 24 and # 25 in the LAPD Property Report !!!

Seeing double

This time the LAPD Property Report recorded Item # 24 as being “34 photographs taken by George Clayton, …” and Item # 25 was recorded as “1 35 mm film container, containing a 35 mm film negative strip with 30 sep pictures. MKD ccc for id …”

Well, of course I immediately smelled another rat

Because, it is not remotely possible for an official LAPD Property Report to assign the very same id numbers (Item numbers 24 and 25) for both the fatal Kennedy bullet and its fragment with the George Ross Clayton photographs and the 35 mm negative in a container. Clearly the SUS finks were caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

This extraordinary information was brought to the court’s attention in a Writ of Habeas Corpus filing by Lawrence Teeter. Well, the court simply laughed at Sirhan’s small-time lawyer and a housewife researcher. No surprise, we got the Bum’s Rush.

Then, providentially, the Jamie Scott Enyart trial took place (he sought the return of his photographs seized by LAPD almost immediately after the shooting in the pantry). I wasted no time in contacting the Enyart legal team with my discovery of the dual identity wherein the fatal Kennedy bullet was recorded as Item # 24 and fragment recorded as Item # 25 (these became Peo. 48 at the Sirhan trial). And the George Ross Clayton photographs and film canister containing a 35 mm negative which were also recorded in the very same LAPD Property Report as being Item # 24 and Item # 25.

After examining my evidence, the Enyart attorneys asked me to testify in the trial to this extraordinary information, which of course I did.

More trickery under foot

When those slippery devils at SUS learned that Enyart attorneys were given copies of my research (the photograph containing the image of the renumbering of Item # 24 to Item # 26 and the fragment renumbered from Item # 25 to Item # 27 along with the LAPD Property Reports) - do you know what those slippery devils did? They (SUS) took a trip up to CSA and SUDDENLY – out of the blue – SUDDENLY discovered a slip of paper attached to Item # 25 folder with the name George Ross Clayton written on one side and the name Scott Enyart written on the other side) ! I kid you not.

And they got away with their bold-faced lie. They brazenly presented that fake piece of paper (with Enyart name on one side and Clayton name on the other side) to the court to shut up Enyart about his missing photographs. In other words, they were saying the Clayton photographs and negative were just a little mistake. The “Clayton” evidence really belonged to Scott Enyart ! And I thought – my God – that is what power can do. But I digress –

To tell the truth I felt like an ant looking up at a grinning gorilla

To return to my story with a brief recap so I don’t lose you

We see there were two separate LAPD Property Reports – one assigned the identification Item # 24 for the fatal Kennedy bullet and the small bullet fragment as Item # 25. Not to forget, the evidence tag with Item # 24 and Item # 25 written on it was altered to read Item # 26 and Item # 27. However, Item # 26 and Item # 27 are positively, absolutely non-existent fake numbers.

You have to ask yourself, why were the Item numbers altered?

What about the separate LAPD Property Report which was filed under the name George Ross Clayton which, it will be remembered, also assigns the same Item numbers, Item # 24 and Item # 25 to 34 photographs and a 35 mm negative strip with 30 sep pictures?

And think about the official evidence tag which accompanied the jar containing the fatal Kennedy bullet and the small vial with a cork top containing a small bullet fragment which was renumbered from Item numbers 24 and 25 to Item numbers 26 and 27. Note, the numbers 26 and 27 are positively non-existent – utterly fraudulent - utterly fake numbers.

You must ask yourself - What was going on for someone to tamper with such an important piece of evidence as the fatal Kennedy bullet?

And, not to forget, the evidence jar containing the fatal Kennedy bullet still had the # 24 written on it and the little vial containing the small bullet fragment still contained the Item # 25 piece of paper.

I will say this – I do not know with an absolute certainty where the authentic Kennedy mastoid bullet is. There are no documents which tell me this. And, I have long been aware of a bona fide portion of the fatal bullet that was quietly preserved.

Where does one go?

TO THE SIRHAN TRIAL

Well SUS really put their foot in it this time. On page 4130 of the Sirhan Trial Transcript we see “Item Numbers 26 and 27” were received into evidence at the Sirhan trial !! But how can that be? There literally are no such numbers in existence in the entire Sirhan case records !!

What this tells us – with an absolute certainty – is that the Prosecution knowingly delivered a KNOWN SUBSTITUTION of the fatal bullet to the trial court before the judge and jury.

Therefore, what went into the Sirhan Trial Court/ Transcript was the false-nonexistent Item Number 26 and 27 !!! Not the original identification number Item # 24 and #25.

Unfortunately, that fraud goes much deeper as Sirhan’s own trial attorney, Grant Cooper was knowingly complicit in this fraud. A careful examination of Sirhan Trial Transcript, p. 4130, lines 11 – 18 reads:

“ Mr. Fitts: And the next, Mr. Cooper, is a bullet fragment contained with the vials as part of Exhibit 48, which was removed from the head of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both during the course of surgery performed upon him prior to his death and later upon the autopsy performed subsequent to his death.

“Mr. Cooper: So stipulated”

Let me explain what that doublespeak is really about

First of all, Peo. 48 is the trial identification for the fatal bullet which was first booked into evidence with the LAPD Property Report as Item # 24 and Item # 25. The jar containing the fatal bullet was marked # 24. And this identification correctly corresponded with the LAPD Property Report identification as Item # 24.

Now we move on to Item # 25. This is a separate small glass vial with a cork top. And within this glass vial there is an extremely small bullet fragment which has the appearance of a small metallic shaving. Also contained within this vial is a small piece of paper with the typewritten “Item # 25”.

The fact is Item # 24 and Item # 25 were removed from the vicinity of Robert Kennedy’s mastoid area during surgery – while he was yet ALIVE.

The irrefutable fact is – Item # 24 and Item # 25 consists of the badly deformed fatal bullet and a fragment of the fatal bullet and they were retrieved from the operating room during surgery - and NOT during the autopsy as Fitts falsely informed the court on p. 4130 of the Sirhan Trial Transcript :

“And the next, Mr. Cooper, is a bullet fragment contained with the vials as part of Exhibit 48, which was removed from the head of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both during the course of surgery performed upon him prior to his death and later upon the autopsy performed subsequent to his death”

What Fitts did here is simply inexcusable. He tells the court Item Numbers 26 and 27 is People’s 48 – which he knew was absolutely untrue.

The fact is Peo. 48 is the trial identification for the fatal bullet (including the fragment) which was first identified as Item # 24 and Item # 25 in the LAPD Property Report.

Then too

Remember, someone tampered with the evidence tag for Items # 24 and# 25 by renumbering Item # 24 to Item # 26 and Item # 25 was renumbered to Item # 27. That is precisely what I testified to in the Jamie Scott Enyart Trial.

Now to get back to Fitts’ strange conduct wherein he throws sand in the court’s face with this nonsense “…both during the course of surgery performed upon him prior to his death and later upon the autopsy performed subsequent to his death” And, the ever compliant “Defense” attorney Grant Cooper KNOWINGLY stipulated to this outright fraud before the court and jury. One to save his backside and the other, I suspect, had a promotion in mind. Unbelievable !

And no slick words can wash that bad business away

The irrefutable fact is this - the Prosecution placed fraudulent evidence into the Sirhan trial court. And that inauthentic evidence is described as “ Item Numbers 26 and 27” in the Sirhan Trial Transcript, p. 4130, whereupon it was promptly received in evidence by a badly hobbled “defense” attorney before the judge and jury.

It was falsely represented before the trial court to be authentic evidence when in fact it is thoroughly documented in the official records to be a substituted identification for the fatal Kennedy bullet and bullet fragment (Item # 26 and Item # 27) – which, it will be remembered does not have a proper chain of custody. WHY NOT? (I refer to Lowell Bradford’s letter to me)

Criminalist Lowell Bradford agreed with my findings

When I brought some of these serious charges to the attention of Lowell Bradford, who was one of the seven Panel Members in the Judge Wenke court order which called for the testing of Sirhan ballistics evidence, Bradford responded with a letter to me.

He agreed with me by writing the following: “the records do not show an intact chain of custody of the item that was introduced into evidence and examined by the Wenke Panel as items # 3 and 3-A.”

Please note items #3 and #3-A are the newly assigned Panel Identity numbers in 1975 for the fatal bullet and the small fragment which is identified as Item # 24 and Item # 25 in the LAPD Property Report on 6-5-68. And not to forget, the original evidence tag which accompanied the evidence jar containing the fatal bullet and the glass vial containing the bullet fragment, these evidence items were originally marked on the evidence tag as Item # 24 and Item # 25 – and then, at some point in time were substituted with the altered numbers 26 and 27 by an unknown hand. (please see Bradford’s letter, the Gilmore photograph and the LAPD Property Reports in the above exhibits)

Then there is the matter when William Harper bitterly complained to me that -------was ORDERED to keep his mouth SHUT. (It is not Rafer Johnson)

Just thinking out loud - I wonder if a Federal Circuit Court Judge might be a consideration?

What can be the reason wherein so many official records plainly prove the tampering of evidence, the destruction of evidence and the substitution of evidence was a routine way of doing business? And then you wonder - Why the silence about this mountain of fraud?

If not for us – the little people – these proofs of agencies illegally playing fast and loose with the evidence, these proofs would never have been exposed.

There has got be a better way

Rose Lynn Mangan July 28, 2015