</s>SECTION 8 62-HQ-587-A SECTION B APR: 2: 1969 --... SERVAS APRIL 2, 1969 -- SERVIES APRIL 1, 1969 --- X M62-HO-587 -- A FED TO THIS -- EAU institute FBI - CENTRAL RECORDS CENTER HQ - HEADQUARTERS Class / Case # Sub Sub Vol. Serial # - 0062 587 A 8 APRIL2, 1969 OPEN 5/11/631783 INVESTIGATION RRPW04PLS Transfer-Call 421 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176 USE CARE IN HANDLING THIS FILE

The documents detail legal and investigative challenges surrounding the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), focusing on Sirhan B. Sirhan’s conviction, parole proceedings, and disputes over ballistic evidence. Sirhan, who was initially denied access to his prison file in a 1984 parole hearing but later granted a rescheduled review with a 90-day delay, served a life sentence after his death penalty was overturned by the Supreme Court. Legal battles centered on whether additional tests could be conducted on ballistic evidence, with courts rejecting requests for retrials or new trials due to insufficient evidence of a second gunman. A Superior Court judge in 1984 denied motions for further analysis, emphasizing that such matters fell under routine police and grand jury procedures rather than judicial review. Ballistic experts from 1965–1975 examined recovered bullets but found no conclusive evidence of multiple shooters, though some suggested re-examining gunpowder residues could support alternative theories. Disputes arose over the handling of physical evidence, including claims that ceiling panels from the Ambassador Hotel were destroyed or lost, potentially affecting forensic analysis.  

Key People  
- **Sirhan B. Sirhan**: Convicted assassin of RFK; denied initial parole access in 1984 but granted a rescheduled hearing.  
- **Robert Wenneke**: Superior Court judge who ruled against additional tests on the assassination case.  
- **Ralph Pizarro**: State prison official cited in Sirhan’s parole file access dispute.  
- **Lowell Bradford**: Ballistic expert involved in re-examining evidence from the assassination.  
- **Allard Trainer**: Congressman advocating for re-investigation of RFK’s assassination.  
- **Joseph Busch**: LAPD official who dismissed calls for reopening the case.  
- **Karl Ucker**: Witness claiming to have seen events at close range, contradicting official accounts.  
- **Lubic**: Forensic expert involved in ballistic analysis of bullets recovered from RFK.  

Key Locations  
- **Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles**: Site of RFK’s assassination and a central location for evidence collection.  
- **Soledad State Prison, California**: Where Sirhan was incarcerated.  
- **Los Angeles County Courthouse**: Venue for legal hearings and court rulings on the case.  
- **San Quentin Prison, California**: Implied as a location associated with Sirhan’s incarceration in some documents.  

Key Events  
- **Parole hearing for Sirhan Sirhan (1984)**: Rescheduled after denied access to his prison file, with a 90-day delay.  
- **Court rulings denying additional tests (1984)**: Judges rejected requests for new evidence or retrials due to lack of credible claims about a second gunman.  
- **Ballistic analysis disputes (1965–1975)**: Experts examined bullets and gunpowder residues but found no conclusive evidence of multiple shooters.  
- **Legal appeals by Sirhan**: Multiple petitions for new trials rejected by courts citing speculative or insufficient evidence.  
- **Disputes over evidence handling**: Claims that ceiling panels from the Ambassador Hotel were destroyed or lost, affecting forensic analysis.  

Key Organizations  
- **FBI**: Involved in the investigation of RFK’s assassination but did not produce definitive results.  
- **State Board of Prison Terms**: Determined Sirhan’s parole eligibility and ruled against improper denial of file access.  
- **Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)**: Scrutinized for evidence handling, with officials defending their conclusions.  
- **Los Angeles County Superior Court**: Handled legal proceedings related to the case, including rulings on evidence disclosure.  
- **American Academy of Forensic Sciences**: Nominated experts for ballistic analysis in some documents.  

Additional Notes: Some documents reference fragmented administrative forms (e.g., "ED-350") or unclear text, with potential SSNs noted but redacted. References to unrelated topics, such as legal procedures for document access or unspecified administrative tasks, are present but not central to the assassination investigation.

RFK Declassified Files

62-hq-587-a_sec_008_ser_april_2_1969--part_1_of_3.pdf

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