After more than half a century since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, the federal government finally released the files about the tragic incident for public viewing on Thursday, October 26, 2017. The file puts focus on the nightclub owner, Jack Ruby, who killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of assassinating the president. Will this satiate the public’s hunger for information? Let’s find out. 

Who is Jack Ruby?

Jack Ruby was born on March 25, 1911, in Chicago, Illinois, to Joseph Rubenstein and Fannie Rutkowski. The Dallas, Texas-based businessman, 52, fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald, 24, in the abdomen at point-blank range on November 24, 1963.

Jack Ruby's mug shot.

The incident took place two days after the assassination of JFK while the suspect was being escorted to county prison from Dallas Police Headquarters. Ruby stepped forward to shoot Oswald to death as he was being taken out in front of the world media. 

Millions of Americans on live TV witnessed the event.

Lee Harvey Oswald was married with two children

Oswald was married to Marina Nikolayevna Prusakova when he was arrested for the assassination of JFK and before being murdered himself. 

The two had married during Oswald’s brief defection to the Soviet Union in 1961 and later returned to the US. They had two daughters – June and Audrey. 

Lee Harvey Oswald (the man who assassinated president John F. Kennedy) with his wife and daughter.

Oswald was buried in Fort Worth’s Shannon Rose Hill Burial Park. Since no mourners had attended the funeral, the reporters present were obliged to be pallbearers.

Official inquiries suggested that Marina had nothing to do with the assassination plot and Marina stated that she believed that her husband was guilty. However, in the recent years, she has professed his innocence. 

Why did Jack Ruby kill Lee Harvey Oswald?

Reports claim that Ruby and Oswald did not know each other, but there has been confusion regarding Ruby’s motive behind the murder.

Various speculations have been put forward. Some believe that Oswald’s murder was planned to silence him and prevent further interrogation while others believe that the murder was motivated by money. Ruby was a defamed gambler, who smuggled guns and ammunition to Cuba.

Ruby had claimed that his act was stimulated by grief and denied involvement in any kind of conspiracy. However, he later disclosed that powerful people were involved in the assassination and that he was “framed to kill Oswald.”

How did Jack Ruby die?

Ruby was admitted to the Parkland Hospital in Dallas on December 9, 1966. Initially diagnosed with pneumonia, Ruby was later diagnosed with cancer in his liver, brain, and lungs. Ruby died on January 3, 1967, at Parkland Hospital due to a pulmonary embolism.

Jack made a final statement on his deathbed. On December 19, 1966, Jack stated that he was solely responsible for the murder of Oswald. He said, “There is nothing to hide…There was no one else.”