Philip Van Praag, an audio expert who co-wrote a new book titled ‘An Open and Shut Case‘ with a fellow investigator, a former American Academy of Forensic Scientists (AAFS) President Robert Joling about the Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination, are convinced more than one gunman was involved in the shooting of Kennedy. Right after winning the California primary, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot early on the morning of June 5, 1968. He died less than 26 hours later, at age 42.

Scientists Van Praag and Joling have extensively analyzed the only known audio tape recording, known as the Pruszynski recording, of the shooting of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, on the fateful day - exactly 40 years ago as of yesterday.

Their findings concluded that no less than fourteen shots were fired in the Ambassador Hotel Los Angeles kitchen pantry, where Senator Kennedy and five others were wounded. Sirhan Sirhan’s .22-caliber revolver had a capacity for only eight bullets. In addition, other findings of the scientists also point to a second gunman firing at Kennedy.

Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of firing his gun from a few feet in front of Kennedy; however, the coroner reported that the fatal shot was fired less than 1 inch from behind Kennedy’s right ear and that of the four shots fired at Kennedy, all came from the rear. This fact was not raised at Sirhan’s trial because his defense was based on the theory that he suffered from “diminished capacity” rather than on any challenge of prosecutors’ evidence.

The inconsistencies in the case have bred numerous conspiracy theories, including the involvement of the CIA and the idea that Sirhan - who claims not to remember the shooting and pleaded insanity at his trial - was a “Manchurian Candidate” assassin who was hypnotically programmed to kill the senator.

The famed audio tape was played live following the authors’ New Haven presentation, on Tuesday, March 25th 2008 at a one and a half hour presentation at which the media were invited for a press conference after the presentation. A presentation was also held on February 21st 2008 which was reported by BBC’s Forensic Sciences division.

Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of RFK’s murder 40 years ago, but skeptics such as Van Praag and Joling are convinced that there was more than one gunman. Sirhan Sirhan is living out the rest of his days in the California state prison at Corcoran. Now 64, he has never fully explained what happened that night other than to say he can’t remember it.

Though Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of acting out the crime alone - questions still remain about RFK’s assassination. Though Los Angeles police found his diary, in which he had written, “RFK must die.”, investigators had concluded he was angry about Kennedy’s support for Israel and had tied the assassination date to the one-year anniversary of the Six-Day War.

Last month Van Praag and Joling submitted their Pruszynski recording findings before the AAFS in Washington D.C. - the AAFS is due to release the paper later in this year. For more info:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/feb/22/kennedy.assassination

This You Tube link is the Discovery Channel’s documentary on Joling and Van Praag’s findings:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TaF6pW45d0o