RU President Kyle to Serve on Panel

RADFORD – Forty-five years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, controversy and conspiracy theories continue to surround the events of that November day in Dallas.

Throughout the fall semester, Radford University students in Tod Burke’s and Steve Owen’s “Investigating the Kennedy Assassination” class have critically analyzed the assassination as it relates to criminal investigative theory and forensic science.

On Wednesday, Dec. 10, students from the class will present their findings in commission reports to a panel of experts at 5 p.m. in the Hurlburt Student Center Auditorium.

The class is divided into four commission groups, and each group will deliver reports based upon their individual investigations of unique circumstances of the JFK assassination case.

Burke and Owen instructed the commission groups to select circumstances that have not been fully examined by previous government commissions that have studied the murders of Kennedy, suspect Lee Harvey Oswald and a Dallas police officer.

One commission group has investigated how atmospheric conditions the day of the assassination may have affected the trajectory of the bullet as it soared from the Book Depository.

The experts panel will consist of RU president Penelope W. Kyle, criminal justice professor Emil Moldovan, Dennie Templeton from the RU Office of Emergency Preparedness, City of Radford Police Chief Don Goodman, Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Rehak and Virginia Tech professor Edward Sewell. The panel will conduct the session as if it were an appellate court.

The event is free and open to the public.