1 00:00:05,417 --> 00:00:07,458 (dramatic music) - [Crowd] We want Kennedy! 2 00:00:07,458 --> 00:00:11,000 We want Kennedy! We want Kennedy! 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,917 - Tonight, an assassin's bullet 4 00:00:12,917 --> 00:00:15,625 changes the course of history. 5 00:00:15,625 --> 00:00:17,167 - This was an exciting moment. 6 00:00:17,167 --> 00:00:18,542 It was filled with joy 7 00:00:18,542 --> 00:00:21,875 and everyone is excited about what's next. 8 00:00:21,875 --> 00:00:23,375 (crowd screaming) 9 00:00:23,375 --> 00:00:26,292 - [Reporter] Kennedy has been shot. Is that possible? 10 00:00:26,292 --> 00:00:28,875 - And then for America, it's a nightmare repeating itself. 11 00:00:28,875 --> 00:00:30,333 - [Bystander] Oh God! God! 12 00:00:31,542 --> 00:00:32,375 Oh why? 13 00:00:33,833 --> 00:00:37,500 - Five years after John F. Kennedy is killed by gunshot, 14 00:00:37,500 --> 00:00:40,458 his brother Robert meets the same fate. 15 00:00:40,458 --> 00:00:42,750 - It really left the nation reeling. 16 00:00:42,750 --> 00:00:46,042 One of the leading candidates to be president was gone. 17 00:00:46,042 --> 00:00:48,292 - Now we'll uncover the top theories 18 00:00:48,292 --> 00:00:51,042 behind the second Kennedy assassination. 19 00:00:51,042 --> 00:00:53,167 - It even sounds like a setup. 20 00:00:53,167 --> 00:00:55,667 - Bobby has enemies, powerful enemies. 21 00:00:55,667 --> 00:00:58,792 - The LAPD appeared to be engaging in a coverup. 22 00:00:58,792 --> 00:01:00,583 - And we'll explore the latest clues 23 00:01:00,583 --> 00:01:04,208 in a case still riddled with inconsistency. 24 00:01:04,208 --> 00:01:07,542 - So the question is, does the official theory add up? 25 00:01:07,542 --> 00:01:09,917 (dramatic music) 26 00:01:09,917 --> 00:01:13,583 - Who was really behind the killing of Robert Kennedy, 27 00:01:13,583 --> 00:01:14,875 and why? 28 00:01:14,875 --> 00:01:17,625 (dramatic music) 29 00:01:28,917 --> 00:01:30,250 (suspenseful music) 30 00:01:30,250 --> 00:01:34,458 June 5th, 1968, the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. 31 00:01:35,875 --> 00:01:39,375 It's after midnight and Robert Kennedy has just won 32 00:01:39,375 --> 00:01:42,708 the California Democratic presidential primary. 33 00:01:42,708 --> 00:01:46,292 - He comes down to the ballroom to greet his supporters, 34 00:01:46,292 --> 00:01:50,125 and it's packed, overflowing with people just so excited, 35 00:01:50,125 --> 00:01:52,875 and he makes his way to the platform. 36 00:01:52,875 --> 00:01:56,917 - This night is a big moment in Bobby Kennedy's career. 37 00:01:56,917 --> 00:01:59,458 He is 42 years old. 38 00:01:59,458 --> 00:02:01,542 His star is on the rise in the Democratic Party. 39 00:02:01,542 --> 00:02:03,750 This night is bringing him one step closer 40 00:02:03,750 --> 00:02:05,333 to the Democratic nomination. 41 00:02:07,042 --> 00:02:09,625 - Robert Kennedy came from a political family. 42 00:02:11,042 --> 00:02:13,042 His father was involved in politics 43 00:02:13,042 --> 00:02:14,833 and had been a U.S. ambassador, 44 00:02:14,833 --> 00:02:16,375 and then his brother 45 00:02:16,375 --> 00:02:17,875 was a U.S. senator 46 00:02:17,875 --> 00:02:19,917 and then became president, 47 00:02:19,917 --> 00:02:23,500 and his brother Ted became a U.S. senator from Massachusetts. 48 00:02:24,542 --> 00:02:27,167 - Bobby Kennedy got his law degree 49 00:02:27,167 --> 00:02:29,417 and soon began making his name 50 00:02:29,417 --> 00:02:31,417 as a hard-charging attorney. 51 00:02:31,417 --> 00:02:33,875 He picks a job on a senate committee 52 00:02:33,875 --> 00:02:36,542 and begins his long career 53 00:02:36,542 --> 00:02:39,958 of making life uncomfortable for the mob. 54 00:02:39,958 --> 00:02:42,708 - When JFK becomes president in 1961, 55 00:02:42,708 --> 00:02:44,583 Bobby Kennedy becomes the attorney general 56 00:02:44,583 --> 00:02:48,375 of the United States, which is the nation's top prosecutor, 57 00:02:48,375 --> 00:02:52,583 and his office is investigating and prosecuting the mob 58 00:02:52,583 --> 00:02:55,792 and corrupt union leaders as well. 59 00:02:55,792 --> 00:02:57,417 - He's working with his brother, 60 00:02:57,417 --> 00:02:59,125 and then it all ends in horror. 61 00:03:01,583 --> 00:03:03,167 - [Newscaster] The sound of the muffled drums 62 00:03:03,167 --> 00:03:05,625 sweeps in melancholy waves over the hushed throngs. 63 00:03:05,625 --> 00:03:08,500 - [Laurence] In 1963, John F. Kennedy 64 00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:10,500 is assassinated in Dallas, 65 00:03:10,500 --> 00:03:12,750 and Vice President Lyndon 66 00:03:12,750 --> 00:03:14,667 Johnson becomes president. 67 00:03:14,667 --> 00:03:16,708 - Robert Kennedy remained in his position 68 00:03:16,708 --> 00:03:19,250 as attorney general for approximately nine months 69 00:03:19,250 --> 00:03:21,250 after the assassination. 70 00:03:21,250 --> 00:03:24,250 - But Bobby resigns in September 1964 71 00:03:24,250 --> 00:03:27,667 in order to run for state senator of New York, 72 00:03:27,667 --> 00:03:30,542 and he wins the election in November 1964. 73 00:03:30,542 --> 00:03:32,375 - As senator from New York, 74 00:03:32,375 --> 00:03:35,333 he begins taking up liberal causes 75 00:03:35,333 --> 00:03:37,958 like the betterment of life for minorities, 76 00:03:37,958 --> 00:03:40,333 like protecting farm workers. 77 00:03:40,333 --> 00:03:41,667 (gun banging) 78 00:03:41,667 --> 00:03:43,250 - He became opposed to the war in Vietnam, 79 00:03:43,250 --> 00:03:45,833 which was a pivotal issue in 1968. 80 00:03:47,042 --> 00:03:51,042 - Bobby Kennedy is considering a run for president in 1968, 81 00:03:51,042 --> 00:03:52,708 but he's still kind of reluctant 82 00:03:52,708 --> 00:03:55,542 because he doesn't wanna go up against Lyndon Johnson. 83 00:03:55,542 --> 00:03:59,250 - And so he waited, but then the Vietnam War 84 00:03:59,250 --> 00:04:01,083 just became such an intense issue. 85 00:04:01,083 --> 00:04:03,375 Johnson was not taking strong steps 86 00:04:03,375 --> 00:04:05,417 to get America out of Vietnam, 87 00:04:05,417 --> 00:04:08,125 and Bobby Kennedy saw an opening. 88 00:04:08,125 --> 00:04:11,250 (crowd cheering) 89 00:04:11,250 --> 00:04:13,208 - I am announcing today my candidacy 90 00:04:14,375 --> 00:04:16,708 for the presidency of the United States. 91 00:04:16,708 --> 00:04:17,875 (crowd cheering) 92 00:04:17,875 --> 00:04:19,208 - Robert Kennedy announced that he's running 93 00:04:19,208 --> 00:04:21,708 for the presidency on March 16th. 94 00:04:21,708 --> 00:04:24,583 On March 31st, he arrives back in New York 95 00:04:24,583 --> 00:04:27,375 after this really barnstorming tour 96 00:04:27,375 --> 00:04:30,208 and he finds out that Johnson is not going to run, 97 00:04:30,208 --> 00:04:32,917 and that changes everything. 98 00:04:34,292 --> 00:04:36,250 - [Laurence] But at first, Bobby is a long shot 99 00:04:36,250 --> 00:04:37,667 for the presidency. 100 00:04:37,667 --> 00:04:40,292 - Bobby Kennedy has two possible rivals 101 00:04:40,292 --> 00:04:41,667 for the Democratic nomination. 102 00:04:41,667 --> 00:04:43,750 He's got Vice President Hubert Humphrey 103 00:04:43,750 --> 00:04:46,875 and he's got the popularity of Senator Eugene McCarthy 104 00:04:46,875 --> 00:04:47,833 to contend with. 105 00:04:49,375 --> 00:04:51,833 - But as Robert Kennedy starts making speeches 106 00:04:51,833 --> 00:04:52,875 around the country, 107 00:04:52,875 --> 00:04:56,417 there is this rockstar type reaction to him 108 00:04:56,417 --> 00:04:59,292 and people just wanting to grab him. 109 00:04:59,292 --> 00:05:01,708 (crowd cheering) 110 00:05:01,708 --> 00:05:03,583 I spoke to somebody once who talked to me 111 00:05:03,583 --> 00:05:06,958 about just trying to keep him upright while going in cars 112 00:05:06,958 --> 00:05:09,583 and people just grabbing at him and pulling at him. 113 00:05:09,583 --> 00:05:12,458 And these crowds were mammoth. 114 00:05:12,458 --> 00:05:14,750 (crowd cheering) 115 00:05:14,750 --> 00:05:17,625 - [Crowd] We want Kennedy! We want Kennedy! 116 00:05:18,583 --> 00:05:19,458 - Clinching the California primary 117 00:05:19,458 --> 00:05:21,208 is getting him one step closer 118 00:05:21,208 --> 00:05:23,875 to winning the nomination that summer. 119 00:05:23,875 --> 00:05:25,208 - [Crowd] We want Kennedy! 120 00:05:25,208 --> 00:05:26,417 - Thank you very- - We want Kennedy! 121 00:05:26,417 --> 00:05:27,375 - Thank you very much. 122 00:05:27,375 --> 00:05:28,458 - [Crowd] We want Kennedy! 123 00:05:28,458 --> 00:05:29,792 - We can start to work together. 124 00:05:29,792 --> 00:05:32,375 We are a great country and a selfless country 125 00:05:32,375 --> 00:05:34,042 and a compassionate country. 126 00:05:34,042 --> 00:05:35,583 (crowd cheering) 127 00:05:35,583 --> 00:05:38,833 - As Robert Kennedy is looking out over the crowd, 128 00:05:38,833 --> 00:05:41,875 he's talking to them in their language. 129 00:05:41,875 --> 00:05:45,375 They're seeing what he calls a better America. 130 00:05:45,375 --> 00:05:47,375 If only he can make it to Chicago 131 00:05:47,375 --> 00:05:49,417 and win the Democratic nomination. 132 00:05:49,417 --> 00:05:50,833 - My thanks to all of you, 133 00:05:50,833 --> 00:05:53,125 and now it's on to Chicago and let's win there. 134 00:05:53,125 --> 00:05:56,542 (crowd cheering) 135 00:05:56,542 --> 00:05:59,833 - [Laurence] At 12:15 AM, Kennedy ends his speech 136 00:05:59,833 --> 00:06:01,583 and heads for the press conference room. 137 00:06:01,583 --> 00:06:03,125 - [Crowd] We want Kennedy! 138 00:06:03,125 --> 00:06:04,958 - [Laurence] Instead of wading through the raucous crowd 139 00:06:04,958 --> 00:06:08,292 in the ballroom, Kennedy takes a shortcut. 140 00:06:08,292 --> 00:06:09,833 - He stepped off the back of the stage 141 00:06:09,833 --> 00:06:13,542 and then walked down a hallway and into a narrow room 142 00:06:13,542 --> 00:06:17,083 which has been become called the pantry. 143 00:06:17,083 --> 00:06:19,000 (suspenseful music) 144 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,417 - And he starts greeting employees, talking to busboys. 145 00:06:24,125 --> 00:06:26,333 - Out of nowhere in the crowd, 146 00:06:26,333 --> 00:06:29,625 a short, dark-haired man steps forward. 147 00:06:29,625 --> 00:06:32,625 Witnesses say they saw him raise his arm. 148 00:06:33,875 --> 00:06:36,167 In his hand is a gun. 149 00:06:36,167 --> 00:06:38,042 (gun banging) 150 00:06:38,042 --> 00:06:39,500 (crowd screaming) 151 00:06:39,500 --> 00:06:42,000 People aren't quite sure what's going on. 152 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:43,958 Perhaps it's fireworks. 153 00:06:43,958 --> 00:06:47,833 But eventually people realize someone's shooting. 154 00:06:49,417 --> 00:06:51,625 - People are collapsing from gunshot wounds. 155 00:06:52,875 --> 00:06:55,542 And finally two bystanders pinned the man to the table 156 00:06:55,542 --> 00:06:58,000 and they wrestled the gun from his hand. 157 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,042 - [Laurence] That's when it becomes clear 158 00:07:00,042 --> 00:07:02,333 Robert Kennedy has been shot. 159 00:07:02,333 --> 00:07:03,708 - [Bystander] Oh god! God! 160 00:07:03,708 --> 00:07:06,208 - The ambulance arrives at 12:23. 161 00:07:06,208 --> 00:07:07,625 (siren wailing) (people yelling) 162 00:07:07,625 --> 00:07:09,875 - Emergency workers rush into the room, 163 00:07:09,875 --> 00:07:13,042 put Kennedy on a stretcher, and rush him back out. 164 00:07:13,042 --> 00:07:16,417 They realize that he's been shot several times, 165 00:07:16,417 --> 00:07:19,458 including at least once in the head. 166 00:07:19,458 --> 00:07:21,000 (dramatic music) 167 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,792 - [Laurence] Kennedy is soon undergoing emergency surgery. 168 00:07:26,375 --> 00:07:29,583 - Kennedy has been shot three times. 169 00:07:29,583 --> 00:07:31,458 One bullet goes into his brain, 170 00:07:31,458 --> 00:07:33,625 another bullet goes into his back. 171 00:07:35,500 --> 00:07:37,375 Third bullet goes into his shoulder 172 00:07:37,375 --> 00:07:40,500 and exits and goes up into the ceiling. 173 00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:43,208 A fourth bullet passes through his suit jacket 174 00:07:43,208 --> 00:07:44,958 on a steep upward angle. 175 00:07:46,542 --> 00:07:49,417 - The bullet that hits him in the head shatters, 176 00:07:49,417 --> 00:07:54,208 and so surgeons spend hours trying to get the bullet debris 177 00:07:54,208 --> 00:07:55,417 out of his skull. 178 00:07:56,958 --> 00:08:00,833 Unfortunately, even after hours of work, 179 00:08:00,833 --> 00:08:02,958 Robert Kennedy slips into a coma. 180 00:08:04,375 --> 00:08:06,875 - [Laurence] On June 6th, 1968, 181 00:08:06,875 --> 00:08:10,250 a little over 25 hours after the shooting, 182 00:08:10,250 --> 00:08:12,583 Robert Kennedy is pronounced dead. 183 00:08:13,875 --> 00:08:15,583 - Five other people wounded. 184 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,417 Paul Schrade, a top official in the United Auto Workers, 185 00:08:20,417 --> 00:08:22,250 was hit with a bullet that knocked him down, 186 00:08:22,250 --> 00:08:23,458 gave him a concussion. 187 00:08:24,542 --> 00:08:27,875 Other people sustained minor bullet wounds. 188 00:08:27,875 --> 00:08:31,750 - At the police station, officers have brought the man 189 00:08:31,750 --> 00:08:34,708 that has been tackled and held 190 00:08:34,708 --> 00:08:37,458 by the workers inside the kitchen. 191 00:08:37,458 --> 00:08:40,125 It's the same small, dark-haired man 192 00:08:40,125 --> 00:08:43,708 that people saw holding the gun. 193 00:08:43,708 --> 00:08:45,958 - They couldn't get this crazy guy to speak, 194 00:08:45,958 --> 00:08:48,292 they couldn't get him to tell him his name, 195 00:08:48,292 --> 00:08:49,667 and they flashed a light in his eyes 196 00:08:49,667 --> 00:08:51,500 to see if there was any problem. 197 00:08:51,500 --> 00:08:52,792 And his eyes were real big 198 00:08:52,792 --> 00:08:54,917 and they didn't react to the light, 199 00:08:54,917 --> 00:08:58,833 and officers said he was under the influence of something. 200 00:08:59,875 --> 00:09:01,958 - The police release his photo to the press, 201 00:09:03,708 --> 00:09:05,917 and his brother recognizes him. 202 00:09:07,208 --> 00:09:12,250 - His brother calls in and identifies him as Sirhan Sirhan, 203 00:09:13,250 --> 00:09:14,750 a immigrant from Palestine. 204 00:09:14,750 --> 00:09:17,583 - From this point forward, the LAPD builds a case 205 00:09:17,583 --> 00:09:19,542 on Sirhan and no one else. 206 00:09:19,542 --> 00:09:22,042 (dramatic music) 207 00:09:26,500 --> 00:09:28,042 - [Laurence] More than 20 witnesses 208 00:09:28,042 --> 00:09:31,500 identify Sirhan Sirhan as the shooter. 209 00:09:31,500 --> 00:09:33,875 - The gun was recovered at the scene 210 00:09:33,875 --> 00:09:35,917 and then brought back to the police station. 211 00:09:35,917 --> 00:09:38,292 - Sirhan had an eight-shot revolver. 212 00:09:39,750 --> 00:09:42,750 He had eight bullets and made good on all eight shots, 213 00:09:42,750 --> 00:09:44,167 according to the LAPD. 214 00:09:45,042 --> 00:09:46,542 (police siren) 215 00:09:46,542 --> 00:09:48,500 - When police go down to Sirhan's home, 216 00:09:48,500 --> 00:09:49,750 they search his room 217 00:09:49,750 --> 00:09:52,208 and they find a bunch of notebooks 218 00:09:52,208 --> 00:09:54,875 that have the strangest writing in the world in them. 219 00:09:54,875 --> 00:09:58,542 There are some passages that say, "RFK must die." 220 00:09:58,542 --> 00:09:59,833 It's crazy writing 221 00:09:59,833 --> 00:10:02,792 from someone who is in some sort of trance. 222 00:10:02,792 --> 00:10:05,750 - Police find in Sirhan's pocket that night 223 00:10:05,750 --> 00:10:08,042 a newspaper clipping about the Six-Day War 224 00:10:08,042 --> 00:10:10,792 and Kennedy's support for Israel. 225 00:10:10,792 --> 00:10:13,750 - Sirhan's brother explains to police 226 00:10:13,750 --> 00:10:16,667 that they are Christian Palestinians 227 00:10:16,667 --> 00:10:19,500 and they've gotten caught in the battle 228 00:10:19,500 --> 00:10:22,833 between Israel and Israel's Arab neighbors. 229 00:10:22,833 --> 00:10:25,208 - Sirhan is distraught about his homeland 230 00:10:25,208 --> 00:10:29,083 and he has fixated his anger on Kennedy. 231 00:10:29,083 --> 00:10:32,708 Sirhan blames Kennedy for support of Israel 232 00:10:32,708 --> 00:10:35,458 and his commitment if he's elected president 233 00:10:35,458 --> 00:10:37,792 to send fighter jets to Israel. 234 00:10:37,792 --> 00:10:40,917 - With all of the evidence that police have found, 235 00:10:40,917 --> 00:10:43,458 they are confident that they have their man. 236 00:10:43,458 --> 00:10:46,250 Sirhan had motive. He had means. 237 00:10:46,250 --> 00:10:47,917 He was in the room. 238 00:10:47,917 --> 00:10:51,708 People have identified him as having a gun. 239 00:10:51,708 --> 00:10:54,083 And the case, according to them, is closed. 240 00:10:55,708 --> 00:10:58,667 - [Laurence] On February 12th, 1969, 241 00:10:58,667 --> 00:11:00,833 eight months after the shooting, 242 00:11:00,833 --> 00:11:05,125 the trial of Sirhan Sirhan begins in L.A. Superior Court. 243 00:11:05,125 --> 00:11:08,333 - The prosecutors lay out what they see as a slam dunk case. 244 00:11:08,333 --> 00:11:10,917 They have the witnesses who place him at the scene. 245 00:11:10,917 --> 00:11:13,000 They have his journal entries. 246 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,750 - An acquaintance of Sirhan even places him 247 00:11:15,750 --> 00:11:19,708 in the Ambassador Hotel days before the fatal shooting. 248 00:11:19,708 --> 00:11:21,583 Was he scouting locations? 249 00:11:21,583 --> 00:11:23,125 (suspenseful music) (gun banging) 250 00:11:23,125 --> 00:11:26,958 - There are also witnesses who saw him at a shooting range. 251 00:11:26,958 --> 00:11:30,250 So he was somebody who knew his way around a gun. 252 00:11:31,833 --> 00:11:35,042 So the crime scene analyst, Dewayne Wolfer of the LAPD, 253 00:11:35,042 --> 00:11:38,042 testifies that all eight of the bullets 254 00:11:38,042 --> 00:11:41,208 fired by Sirhan are accounted for. 255 00:11:41,208 --> 00:11:43,583 - [Laurence] Sirhan Sirhan pleads not guilty 256 00:11:43,583 --> 00:11:45,833 by reason of insanity. 257 00:11:45,833 --> 00:11:49,083 - Sirhan denies remembering anything about the shooting, 258 00:11:49,083 --> 00:11:52,417 but then when he's asked by the prosecutor on the stand, 259 00:11:52,417 --> 00:11:56,292 "Did you shoot Robert F. Kennedy?" he says, "Yes, sir." 260 00:11:57,625 --> 00:12:00,083 - Sirhan's own attorney even stands up in court 261 00:12:00,083 --> 00:12:04,333 and says there is no doubt that Sirhan shot Robert Kennedy. 262 00:12:06,875 --> 00:12:08,750 Sirhan's attorney is trying to keep Sirhan 263 00:12:08,750 --> 00:12:10,208 out of the gas chamber 264 00:12:10,208 --> 00:12:12,875 because at the time California has the death penalty 265 00:12:12,875 --> 00:12:15,833 and he's trying to make sure that Sirhan only gets life. 266 00:12:17,500 --> 00:12:20,792 - [Laurence] But on April 17, 1969, 267 00:12:20,792 --> 00:12:24,292 Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of killing Robert Kennedy 268 00:12:24,292 --> 00:12:26,208 and sentenced to death. 269 00:12:26,208 --> 00:12:28,375 (somber music) 270 00:12:28,375 --> 00:12:29,833 (door thudding) 271 00:12:29,833 --> 00:12:31,792 - As far as the LAPD is concerned, the case is over. 272 00:12:33,083 --> 00:12:34,750 - [Laurence] The case may be officially closed, 273 00:12:34,750 --> 00:12:36,208 the verdict delivered, 274 00:12:36,208 --> 00:12:39,917 but many say the trial left unanswered questions. 275 00:12:39,917 --> 00:12:42,375 - Even as the trial is happening, 276 00:12:42,375 --> 00:12:46,042 members of the media and local concerned citizens 277 00:12:47,042 --> 00:12:49,208 are wondering if this all adds up. 278 00:12:49,208 --> 00:12:51,875 People are troubled that Sirhan's defense 279 00:12:51,875 --> 00:12:54,833 didn't challenge any of the physical evidence. 280 00:12:54,833 --> 00:12:57,250 - Part of the problem is that the LAPD has promised 281 00:12:57,250 --> 00:13:00,375 that they're going to have a transparent investigation, 282 00:13:00,375 --> 00:13:04,417 but they don't actually release any of the investigation 283 00:13:04,417 --> 00:13:05,875 to members of the media. 284 00:13:05,875 --> 00:13:07,792 That's really concerning. 285 00:13:08,917 --> 00:13:11,042 - The Kennedy Assassination Truth Committee 286 00:13:11,042 --> 00:13:14,542 was a group of well-meaning critics of the case 287 00:13:14,542 --> 00:13:16,292 who put together some evidence. 288 00:13:16,292 --> 00:13:18,542 - They go back to the crime scene, 289 00:13:18,542 --> 00:13:22,375 and one of the things they focus on is bullet holes. 290 00:13:23,917 --> 00:13:26,042 - [Laurence] A few days after the guilty verdict, 291 00:13:26,042 --> 00:13:27,917 this group publishes its findings 292 00:13:27,917 --> 00:13:29,583 in an alternative newspaper 293 00:13:29,583 --> 00:13:31,958 called the "Los Angeles Free Press." 294 00:13:31,958 --> 00:13:34,167 - They present photographic evidence 295 00:13:34,167 --> 00:13:37,542 that 10 bullets were fired, which doesn't add up 296 00:13:37,542 --> 00:13:39,292 with the official investigation 297 00:13:40,542 --> 00:13:42,000 that there were only eight shots. 298 00:13:45,667 --> 00:13:46,708 (suspenseful music) 299 00:13:46,708 --> 00:13:48,542 - [Laurence] In April of 1969, 300 00:13:48,542 --> 00:13:50,708 Sirhan Sirhan is sentenced to death 301 00:13:50,708 --> 00:13:53,042 for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy. 302 00:13:54,458 --> 00:13:57,708 But journalists and independent investigators 303 00:13:57,708 --> 00:13:59,583 challenge the lone gunman theory. 304 00:14:00,792 --> 00:14:02,500 - Just days after the trial, 305 00:14:02,500 --> 00:14:03,750 a newspaper, 306 00:14:03,750 --> 00:14:05,250 the "Los Angeles Free Press," 307 00:14:05,250 --> 00:14:08,083 shows a photograph of a door jamb. 308 00:14:09,375 --> 00:14:13,000 In that door jamb is what looks to be two bullet holes. 309 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,833 - Another photograph is published of an LAPD officer 310 00:14:15,833 --> 00:14:17,542 pointing to a bullet hole 311 00:14:17,542 --> 00:14:21,042 in another section of the kitchen a few feet away. 312 00:14:21,042 --> 00:14:23,375 - [Laurence] Sirhan's gun held eight rounds, 313 00:14:23,375 --> 00:14:25,917 seven bullets were recovered from the victim's bodies 314 00:14:25,917 --> 00:14:28,417 and one bullet went into the ceiling. 315 00:14:28,417 --> 00:14:32,000 But now there appear to be three additional bullets 316 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:33,875 buried in the walls. 317 00:14:33,875 --> 00:14:35,708 (gun banging) 318 00:14:35,708 --> 00:14:38,042 - With more than eight shots fired, 319 00:14:38,042 --> 00:14:40,042 that means that there's a second person 320 00:14:40,042 --> 00:14:42,708 who could have fired the fatal shots 321 00:14:42,708 --> 00:14:43,833 that killed Bobby Kennedy. 322 00:14:44,042 --> 00:14:47,667 (dramatic music) 323 00:14:47,667 --> 00:14:49,208 (somber music) 324 00:14:49,208 --> 00:14:53,125 - All of a sudden you have to question who Sirhan is 325 00:14:53,125 --> 00:14:54,625 and what is he doing there, 326 00:14:56,042 --> 00:14:58,458 and who might the second gun be and what is he doing there, 327 00:14:58,458 --> 00:15:00,917 and who are the people behind this? 328 00:15:00,917 --> 00:15:02,792 - A few months after the trial, 329 00:15:02,792 --> 00:15:05,542 a documentary filmmaker named Ted Charach 330 00:15:05,542 --> 00:15:07,042 begins his own investigation 331 00:15:07,042 --> 00:15:08,625 into the death of 332 00:15:08,625 --> 00:15:10,125 Robert Kennedy. 333 00:15:10,125 --> 00:15:13,958 - He discovers that the medical examiner, Thomas Noguchi, 334 00:15:13,958 --> 00:15:16,500 who performed the autopsy on Robert Kennedy 335 00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:21,042 filed a 62-page report that was never entered into evidence 336 00:15:21,042 --> 00:15:23,208 during the trial. 337 00:15:23,208 --> 00:15:26,667 - For the first time, Noguchi introduces evidence 338 00:15:26,667 --> 00:15:29,250 that has never been talked about. 339 00:15:29,250 --> 00:15:34,375 - One gunshot wound was found behind right ear. 340 00:15:35,542 --> 00:15:38,500 And after test firing, we came to conclusion 341 00:15:38,500 --> 00:15:43,417 that the muzzle distance would be one inch 342 00:15:43,417 --> 00:15:48,458 from the right ear edge and no more than three inches. 343 00:15:51,125 --> 00:15:53,917 - Sirhan, who's approaching Kennedy from the front, 344 00:15:53,917 --> 00:15:56,917 never gets within a couple of feet of Kennedy 345 00:15:56,917 --> 00:15:59,667 because all these other guys tackled him 346 00:15:59,667 --> 00:16:01,375 after the first two shots. 347 00:16:01,375 --> 00:16:04,208 Sirhan's never close enough to put a shot 348 00:16:04,208 --> 00:16:06,250 into the back of Kennedy's head. 349 00:16:06,250 --> 00:16:08,208 - This new evidence from Ted Charach's film 350 00:16:08,208 --> 00:16:11,708 is really explosive, its own news story, 351 00:16:11,708 --> 00:16:16,083 and it provokes this really big media reaction. 352 00:16:16,083 --> 00:16:17,708 - [Laurence] After Sirhan's trial, 353 00:16:17,708 --> 00:16:22,042 his appellate lawyers hire an independent ballistics expert 354 00:16:22,042 --> 00:16:24,917 to reanalyze the three intact bullets 355 00:16:24,917 --> 00:16:28,083 recovered from Kennedy and two other victims. 356 00:16:29,083 --> 00:16:30,750 - What he finds is that the bullet 357 00:16:30,750 --> 00:16:32,542 that enters Kennedy's neck 358 00:16:32,542 --> 00:16:37,375 and a bullet that hit a bystander don't match. 359 00:16:38,333 --> 00:16:40,333 If those two bullets don't match, 360 00:16:40,333 --> 00:16:43,000 that means there had to be another gun 361 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,125 and another gunman in the room. 362 00:16:45,125 --> 00:16:46,750 (people yelling) 363 00:16:46,750 --> 00:16:49,875 - But the district attorney just falls back on the fact 364 00:16:49,875 --> 00:16:52,167 that a jury convicted Sirhan 365 00:16:52,167 --> 00:16:54,458 while the police stood by their analysis 366 00:16:54,458 --> 00:16:57,375 that the bullet in Kennedy came from Sirhan's gun. 367 00:16:57,375 --> 00:16:59,875 - With the files locked away from the public, 368 00:16:59,875 --> 00:17:02,375 no one can actually fact-check their work, 369 00:17:02,375 --> 00:17:06,375 so there are now calls for release of these LAPD files. 370 00:17:07,458 --> 00:17:11,125 - [Laurence] Almost two decades later, in 1986, 371 00:17:11,125 --> 00:17:14,875 Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley announces that the files 372 00:17:14,875 --> 00:17:18,000 will be released to the public at last. 373 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,167 - 50,000 police documents. 374 00:17:20,167 --> 00:17:22,500 There's 1,000 photographs to go through 375 00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:26,000 and there's hundreds of hours of audio and video materials. 376 00:17:27,417 --> 00:17:31,667 - In 2004, an audio file is found in this treasure trove. 377 00:17:32,958 --> 00:17:35,167 That audio file was made by a Polish journalist 378 00:17:35,167 --> 00:17:37,208 the night of the shooting. 379 00:17:37,208 --> 00:17:40,958 On this audio file, popping sounds are heard. 380 00:17:40,958 --> 00:17:43,625 A audio engineer named Philip Van Praag 381 00:17:43,625 --> 00:17:46,833 begins to remove some of the ambient noise from it 382 00:17:46,833 --> 00:17:51,833 so he can actually count the number of shots that he hears. 383 00:17:51,833 --> 00:17:54,375 (gun banging) (people screaming) 384 00:17:54,375 --> 00:17:57,375 - He found 13 shots on the tape. 385 00:17:57,375 --> 00:17:59,500 13 shots is about five shots more 386 00:17:59,500 --> 00:18:01,708 than Sirhan's gun could have handled, 387 00:18:01,708 --> 00:18:03,167 so that would again indicate 388 00:18:03,167 --> 00:18:06,292 that a second person was firing inside that pantry. 389 00:18:07,333 --> 00:18:09,083 - [Laurence] Based on this new evidence, 390 00:18:09,083 --> 00:18:12,042 Sirhan's lawyers file papers in 2011 391 00:18:12,042 --> 00:18:14,250 requesting a new trial. 392 00:18:14,250 --> 00:18:19,292 - Finally, in 2013, a magistrate judge takes the case. 393 00:18:19,292 --> 00:18:21,458 - He says there's no evidentiary support 394 00:18:21,458 --> 00:18:23,083 that there's a second shooter, 395 00:18:23,083 --> 00:18:26,917 and he questions how a second shooter could shoot 396 00:18:26,917 --> 00:18:29,333 and then escape completely unnoticed. 397 00:18:30,917 --> 00:18:34,042 - So the appeals are denied, but it doesn't end the question 398 00:18:34,042 --> 00:18:35,625 of whether or not there was a second gun. 399 00:18:39,333 --> 00:18:40,708 (somber music) (water dripping) 400 00:18:40,708 --> 00:18:42,583 - [Laurence] In evidence never presented in court, 401 00:18:42,583 --> 00:18:45,458 the medical examiner in Robert Kennedy's assassination 402 00:18:45,458 --> 00:18:48,542 concludes the senator was killed by a gunshot 403 00:18:48,542 --> 00:18:51,500 fired from an inch away and from behind. 404 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:57,167 Yet witnesses say the man who was convicted, Sirhan Sirhan, 405 00:18:57,167 --> 00:18:59,167 was not behind Kennedy 406 00:18:59,167 --> 00:19:02,083 and never got closer than two or three feet. 407 00:19:03,208 --> 00:19:06,333 But who else was close enough to shoot Kennedy? 408 00:19:08,917 --> 00:19:10,375 - In 1968, the Secret Service 409 00:19:10,375 --> 00:19:12,042 did not provide protection 410 00:19:12,042 --> 00:19:14,000 for presidential candidates, 411 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,000 so there wasn't massive security 412 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,667 like you see at political rallies now. 413 00:19:18,667 --> 00:19:20,792 (crowd chattering) - Senator! Senator! 414 00:19:20,792 --> 00:19:25,750 - Kennedy did have his own sort of informal security outfit. 415 00:19:27,375 --> 00:19:30,375 - A retired football player by the name of Rosey Grier 416 00:19:30,375 --> 00:19:33,042 and Olympic medalist Rafer Johnson, 417 00:19:33,042 --> 00:19:34,917 they provided security for Bobby. 418 00:19:36,208 --> 00:19:38,083 - As Kennedy heads into the kitchen, 419 00:19:38,083 --> 00:19:40,417 he gets separated from Rafer Johnson. 420 00:19:40,417 --> 00:19:44,167 - A security guard independent from RFK's informal outfit 421 00:19:44,333 --> 00:19:46,667 ends up taking Kennedy's right elbow 422 00:19:46,667 --> 00:19:49,042 and he escorts him through the pantry. 423 00:19:49,042 --> 00:19:51,667 His name is Thane Eugene Cesar. 424 00:19:52,750 --> 00:19:54,833 - He had been hired by the Ambassador Hotel 425 00:19:54,833 --> 00:19:57,042 for the purpose of crowd control that night. 426 00:19:57,375 --> 00:20:00,042 - This would put him in position 427 00:20:00,042 --> 00:20:02,000 to be the perfect person to 428 00:20:02,250 --> 00:20:04,708 shoot Robert Kennedy from behind. 429 00:20:05,167 --> 00:20:07,667 (dramatic music) 430 00:20:08,875 --> 00:20:11,708 - After the revelation of additional bullets, 431 00:20:11,708 --> 00:20:14,417 people start looking into Thane Cesar 432 00:20:14,417 --> 00:20:18,000 to see if he had a possible motive. 433 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:19,917 - [Laurence] Cesar is a 26-year-old 434 00:20:19,917 --> 00:20:21,917 part-time security guard. 435 00:20:21,917 --> 00:20:24,958 - Cesar had clearance to carry a weapon that night. 436 00:20:24,958 --> 00:20:26,000 He had a .38. 437 00:20:27,125 --> 00:20:28,375 - [Laurence] After the shooting, 438 00:20:28,375 --> 00:20:30,875 Cesar is among those questioned by police. 439 00:20:30,875 --> 00:20:34,417 - Cesar said that he saw an arm and a gun 440 00:20:34,417 --> 00:20:37,000 which had started firing at Kennedy. 441 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,167 (gun banging) 442 00:20:39,167 --> 00:20:40,375 - According to Cesar, 443 00:20:40,375 --> 00:20:42,917 Kennedy collapses right in front of him. 444 00:20:42,917 --> 00:20:44,458 (people screaming) - Oh god! 445 00:20:44,458 --> 00:20:48,458 - Cesar says he reaches for his .38 but never fires it. 446 00:20:49,708 --> 00:20:53,375 In fact, he says he fell over against an ice machine. 447 00:20:54,708 --> 00:20:56,875 - [Laurence] After giving his statement to police, 448 00:20:56,875 --> 00:20:58,708 Cesar is cleared. 449 00:20:58,708 --> 00:21:02,083 - From the beginning, Cesar is treated as a witness 450 00:21:02,083 --> 00:21:03,333 and not a suspect. 451 00:21:04,375 --> 00:21:07,375 - Well, the police never asked for Cesar's .38 452 00:21:07,375 --> 00:21:09,042 or test fired it. 453 00:21:09,042 --> 00:21:11,583 There were no indications that a .38 had been used. 454 00:21:11,875 --> 00:21:15,875 - But Donald Schulman of CBS News told police 455 00:21:15,875 --> 00:21:20,125 that he saw one of the security guards return fire. 456 00:21:20,125 --> 00:21:25,000 Cesar was the only security guard in the room with a gun. 457 00:21:26,625 --> 00:21:29,042 - It turns out Gene Cesar had a .22 caliber pistol 458 00:21:29,042 --> 00:21:32,792 that was very similar to Sirhan's .22 caliber pistol. 459 00:21:34,083 --> 00:21:35,792 - [Laurence] With interest in the second gunman theory 460 00:21:35,792 --> 00:21:39,792 growing, in 1971, the district attorney's office 461 00:21:39,792 --> 00:21:43,542 summons Thane Eugene Cesar for another interview. 462 00:21:44,667 --> 00:21:46,708 - Here's where it gets really interesting. 463 00:21:47,792 --> 00:21:51,208 Cesar says he sold the gun to a friend 464 00:21:51,208 --> 00:21:52,833 before the assassination, 465 00:21:52,833 --> 00:21:55,417 but a reporter tracks this friend down 466 00:21:55,417 --> 00:21:58,125 and finds out that Cesar sold the gun 467 00:21:58,125 --> 00:22:00,917 a few months after the assassination. 468 00:22:00,917 --> 00:22:04,417 This friend even produces a bill of sale 469 00:22:04,417 --> 00:22:06,875 that has Cesar's signature on it. 470 00:22:06,875 --> 00:22:09,583 - So not only was Cesar in the right place 471 00:22:09,583 --> 00:22:11,667 at the right time to have shot Kennedy, 472 00:22:11,667 --> 00:22:14,667 but he also had the right kind of gun. 473 00:22:16,375 --> 00:22:18,875 - However, the DA takes no action. 474 00:22:20,292 --> 00:22:24,083 - In 1973, documentary filmmaker Ted Charach 475 00:22:24,083 --> 00:22:27,542 interviews Cesar, and Cesar reveals in this interview 476 00:22:27,542 --> 00:22:29,375 something really interesting. 477 00:22:29,375 --> 00:22:32,542 - He finds out that Cesar might also have a motive 478 00:22:32,542 --> 00:22:34,083 for shooting Kennedy. 479 00:22:34,083 --> 00:22:35,375 - [Cesar] I definitely wouldn't have voted for Bobby Kennedy 480 00:22:35,375 --> 00:22:37,833 'cause he had the same ideas as John did, 481 00:22:37,833 --> 00:22:40,167 and I think John sold the country down the road. 482 00:22:40,167 --> 00:22:41,458 He gave it to the commies. 483 00:22:41,458 --> 00:22:43,458 He literally gave it to the minority. 484 00:22:43,458 --> 00:22:45,542 I'm not a Democrat. (laughs) 485 00:22:45,542 --> 00:22:47,500 - He has these far-right leanings, 486 00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:50,500 and the guy he was supporting in the 1968 election 487 00:22:50,500 --> 00:22:54,042 was actually former Alabama governor George Wallace, 488 00:22:54,042 --> 00:22:56,125 who's a known racist. 489 00:22:56,125 --> 00:23:00,625 - And I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, 490 00:23:00,625 --> 00:23:03,583 and segregation forever. 491 00:23:03,583 --> 00:23:05,500 - Cesar felt that Black people 492 00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:08,667 were having too many people advocating for them 493 00:23:08,667 --> 00:23:10,917 and that their equal rights were being shoved down 494 00:23:10,917 --> 00:23:13,750 people's throats, and that there was going to be a time 495 00:23:13,750 --> 00:23:15,792 where people pushed back against that. 496 00:23:16,958 --> 00:23:19,667 - When Ted Charach's documentary "The Second Gun" 497 00:23:19,667 --> 00:23:23,708 comes out in 1973, many people watch this documentary 498 00:23:23,708 --> 00:23:25,583 and come away with the idea 499 00:23:25,583 --> 00:23:28,000 that Cesar must have had something to do with it. 500 00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:31,250 - [Laurence] In the years that follow, 501 00:23:31,250 --> 00:23:33,000 Cesar gets more tight-lipped 502 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,458 and eventually moves to the Philippines 503 00:23:35,458 --> 00:23:39,292 where he resides until his death in 2019. 504 00:23:39,292 --> 00:23:42,208 - But while Cesar was well-positioned 505 00:23:42,208 --> 00:23:43,750 to fire the fatal shots, 506 00:23:43,750 --> 00:23:45,625 there was at least one other person in the pantry that night 507 00:23:45,625 --> 00:23:47,458 who had no business being there. 508 00:23:47,458 --> 00:23:48,667 (suspenseful music) 509 00:23:52,625 --> 00:23:54,750 - In 1969, Sirhan Sirhan is convicted 510 00:23:54,750 --> 00:23:58,125 of killing Robert Kennedy and locked behind bars, 511 00:23:58,125 --> 00:24:01,708 but in the years that follow the evidence mounts 512 00:24:01,708 --> 00:24:04,958 that there may have been holes in the investigation. 513 00:24:04,958 --> 00:24:09,833 Then in 1986 the official police files are finally released, 514 00:24:09,833 --> 00:24:13,000 including details of a forgotten eyewitness interview 515 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:17,375 from 1968, an interview which may shed light 516 00:24:17,375 --> 00:24:19,833 on the identity of a new suspect. 517 00:24:21,042 --> 00:24:24,667 - Sandy Serrano is a 21-year-old volunteer 518 00:24:24,667 --> 00:24:27,042 working for the Robert Kennedy campaign. 519 00:24:27,042 --> 00:24:30,042 That fateful night, she's sitting on the back stairs 520 00:24:30,042 --> 00:24:33,542 of the Ambassador Hotel getting some fresh air. 521 00:24:33,542 --> 00:24:35,083 - Around 11:30 or so, 522 00:24:35,083 --> 00:24:39,875 Sandy Serrano is outside behind the Ambassador 523 00:24:39,875 --> 00:24:43,917 and she says that she saw a woman in a polka dot dress 524 00:24:43,917 --> 00:24:46,750 and a man who matches Sirhan's description 525 00:24:47,750 --> 00:24:50,292 going into the pantry together. 526 00:24:50,292 --> 00:24:53,125 - And then this woman in a polka dot dress comes out 527 00:24:53,125 --> 00:24:55,042 after the shooting shouting, 528 00:24:55,042 --> 00:24:58,625 "We shot him, we shot him. We shot Senator Kennedy." 529 00:25:01,125 --> 00:25:02,250 (police siren) 530 00:25:02,250 --> 00:25:04,375 - Even though the police have Sirhan in custody, 531 00:25:04,375 --> 00:25:06,250 they start looking for this woman. 532 00:25:06,250 --> 00:25:07,542 She could be an accomplice. 533 00:25:07,542 --> 00:25:08,833 She could be a second shooter. 534 00:25:09,333 --> 00:25:12,708 - [Laurence] At least 25 witnesses recall seeing a woman 535 00:25:12,708 --> 00:25:15,917 in a polka dot dress at the hotel that night, 536 00:25:17,208 --> 00:25:21,250 and several people saw her in the company of Sirhan Sirhan. 537 00:25:21,250 --> 00:25:25,750 - One witness even remembers the woman helping Sirhan Sirhan 538 00:25:25,750 --> 00:25:27,750 get into his position in the pantry 539 00:25:27,750 --> 00:25:29,917 before the fatal shooting. 540 00:25:29,917 --> 00:25:31,792 - The woman appears to have said something 541 00:25:31,792 --> 00:25:34,542 in his ear and smiles. 542 00:25:34,542 --> 00:25:36,500 - Outside the Ambassador, 543 00:25:36,500 --> 00:25:38,708 a police sergeant bumps into this woman 544 00:25:38,708 --> 00:25:41,792 who again says, "We shot Kennedy," 545 00:25:41,792 --> 00:25:44,792 and he helps put out a description of this woman. 546 00:25:45,583 --> 00:25:46,958 - [Laurence] That same night, 547 00:25:46,958 --> 00:25:49,250 police put out an all-points bulletin 548 00:25:49,250 --> 00:25:50,917 for this mysterious woman. 549 00:25:50,917 --> 00:25:52,708 - In the APB that's put out, 550 00:25:52,708 --> 00:25:57,500 the woman is described as a white woman aged 23 to 27, 551 00:25:57,500 --> 00:25:59,500 and she's wearing a white dress 552 00:25:59,500 --> 00:26:01,958 with black polka dots and heels. 553 00:26:03,042 --> 00:26:05,375 - Shortly after Sirhan is arrested, 554 00:26:05,375 --> 00:26:07,208 police cancel the bulletin. 555 00:26:07,208 --> 00:26:10,875 LAPD investigators are convinced that Serrano 556 00:26:10,875 --> 00:26:13,625 and their own officer have misinterpreted 557 00:26:13,625 --> 00:26:15,208 what this woman said. 558 00:26:15,208 --> 00:26:16,750 (people yelling) 559 00:26:16,750 --> 00:26:18,708 - They assume that what they actually heard 560 00:26:18,708 --> 00:26:21,292 was, "They shot Senator Kennedy." 561 00:26:21,708 --> 00:26:24,625 - But Sandy Serrano goes to the national media 562 00:26:24,625 --> 00:26:27,292 and she refuses to change her story. 563 00:26:27,292 --> 00:26:31,000 - This girl said, "We've shot him. We've shot him." 564 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,000 And I says, "Who did you shoot?" 565 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,542 And she says, "We shot Senator Kennedy." 566 00:26:35,542 --> 00:26:37,042 I can remember what she had on and everything. 567 00:26:37,042 --> 00:26:39,333 She had on a white dress with polka dots 568 00:26:39,333 --> 00:26:40,833 and she has a funny nose. 569 00:26:42,083 --> 00:26:44,833 - [Laurence] Two weeks later, with Sirhan behind bars, 570 00:26:44,833 --> 00:26:48,958 police announce that Sandy Serrano has recanted her story. 571 00:26:48,958 --> 00:26:52,042 - Police say that Sandy is changing her story 572 00:26:52,042 --> 00:26:55,750 and maybe didn't quite remember what was said. 573 00:26:55,750 --> 00:26:57,708 - And that's how it stands for about 20 years 574 00:26:57,708 --> 00:27:00,708 until Sandy's original account is rediscovered 575 00:27:00,708 --> 00:27:03,542 when the police released the files to the public. 576 00:27:03,542 --> 00:27:05,208 - And people go and interview her 577 00:27:05,208 --> 00:27:09,875 and she once again renews her claim that she saw this woman 578 00:27:09,875 --> 00:27:12,167 and this woman said, "We killed Kennedy." 579 00:27:12,167 --> 00:27:15,958 Serrano also gives a very detailed description 580 00:27:15,958 --> 00:27:19,417 of how she was pressured by the police to change her story. 581 00:27:20,417 --> 00:27:21,917 - When looking at the transcript 582 00:27:21,917 --> 00:27:24,167 of that Sandy Serrano interview, 583 00:27:24,167 --> 00:27:27,708 you can see that the detective is accusing her 584 00:27:27,708 --> 00:27:30,083 of trying to bring down the investigation 585 00:27:30,083 --> 00:27:31,917 of who killed Robert Kennedy. 586 00:27:31,917 --> 00:27:33,000 (record button clicks) 587 00:27:56,375 --> 00:28:00,250 - Sandy Serrano says after being browbeat by this detective, 588 00:28:00,250 --> 00:28:03,750 she was willing to tell them whatever they wanted to hear 589 00:28:03,750 --> 00:28:05,458 just for it to be over. 590 00:28:05,458 --> 00:28:07,458 - But a lot of people criticize 591 00:28:07,458 --> 00:28:09,042 the investigators' tactics here, 592 00:28:09,042 --> 00:28:12,708 that they never told her that 25 other people 593 00:28:12,708 --> 00:28:16,792 actually saw the same woman that she said she saw. 594 00:28:16,792 --> 00:28:18,958 - For decades, the identity of the woman 595 00:28:18,958 --> 00:28:22,125 in the polka dotted dress remained a mystery. 596 00:28:22,125 --> 00:28:25,750 - [Laurence] Then in 2011, the woman comes up again, 597 00:28:25,750 --> 00:28:27,167 mentioned in a parole hearing 598 00:28:27,167 --> 00:28:29,917 by none other than Sirhan Sirhan. 599 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,458 - Sirhan does recall that he met this woman 600 00:28:34,458 --> 00:28:35,833 he describes as pretty. 601 00:28:36,667 --> 00:28:38,542 Sirhan does remember being 602 00:28:38,542 --> 00:28:40,667 with the woman in the polka dot dress 603 00:28:40,667 --> 00:28:43,375 and saying that she led him into the kitchen 604 00:28:43,375 --> 00:28:46,875 and that then his mind started to play tricks on him. 605 00:28:46,875 --> 00:28:49,542 - He says he has a flashback to the shooting range, 606 00:28:49,542 --> 00:28:50,750 (bullets pop) 607 00:28:50,750 --> 00:28:53,708 but then he doesn't have any recollection 608 00:28:53,708 --> 00:28:56,292 of actually shooting Kennedy. 609 00:28:56,292 --> 00:28:58,625 (gun banging) 610 00:28:58,625 --> 00:29:01,375 - He also says he has no memory of the name of the woman 611 00:29:01,375 --> 00:29:04,125 in the polka dotted dress and has no idea 612 00:29:04,125 --> 00:29:07,167 why she was at the Ambassador Hotel that night. 613 00:29:07,167 --> 00:29:09,625 - [Laurence] A year later, in 2012, 614 00:29:09,625 --> 00:29:11,792 a new clue emerges when Paul Schrade, 615 00:29:11,792 --> 00:29:14,833 a union leader and ally of Robert Kennedy 616 00:29:14,833 --> 00:29:18,750 who was also shot that night, gets a cryptic letter. 617 00:29:18,750 --> 00:29:22,083 - It comes with a photo from a person claiming 618 00:29:22,083 --> 00:29:26,625 that their aunt was the woman in the polka dot dress. 619 00:29:26,625 --> 00:29:30,417 - Paul Schrade gives the photo to a reporter, Brad Johnson, 620 00:29:30,417 --> 00:29:32,208 and he begins taking the photo 621 00:29:32,208 --> 00:29:35,708 to witnesses who were at the Ambassador Hotel that night. 622 00:29:35,708 --> 00:29:37,375 They all tell Johnson 623 00:29:37,375 --> 00:29:40,375 that it looks like the woman in the polka dot dress. 624 00:29:40,375 --> 00:29:44,000 - [Laurence] In 2018, after a five-year investigation, 625 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,667 Brad Johnson and his co-author Tim Tate 626 00:29:46,875 --> 00:29:48,667 identify the woman in the polka dot dress 627 00:29:48,667 --> 00:29:49,875 for the first time. 628 00:29:52,375 --> 00:29:54,042 - The woman is Elayn Neal, 629 00:29:54,042 --> 00:29:58,000 and she is a white woman with a pug nose. 630 00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,458 - The journalists begin digging 631 00:29:59,458 --> 00:30:00,917 into Elayn Neal's background. 632 00:30:00,917 --> 00:30:04,333 They find out she was about 19 when RFK was shot 633 00:30:04,333 --> 00:30:07,625 and her first husband was away fighting in Vietnam. 634 00:30:07,625 --> 00:30:09,208 Elayn's family reports 635 00:30:09,208 --> 00:30:11,708 that she always seemed haunted by something. 636 00:30:11,708 --> 00:30:13,500 She begins drinking heavily. 637 00:30:13,500 --> 00:30:16,708 She ends up divorcing her soldier husband 638 00:30:16,708 --> 00:30:18,333 and she does get remarried. 639 00:30:18,333 --> 00:30:20,833 - [Laurence] Journalists start delving into the life 640 00:30:20,833 --> 00:30:23,875 of Elayn's second husband, Jerry Capehart. 641 00:30:23,875 --> 00:30:26,083 - Jerry Capehart was quite a character 642 00:30:26,083 --> 00:30:29,708 and he had a couple of songwriting hits in the 1950s. 643 00:30:29,708 --> 00:30:34,417 His son revealed that shortly before Jerry Capehart died, 644 00:30:34,417 --> 00:30:36,875 he told him that in addition to being in the music business, 645 00:30:36,875 --> 00:30:38,375 he'd also been in the CIA. 646 00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:43,792 - [Laurence] She's been called the woman 647 00:30:43,792 --> 00:30:45,083 in the polka dot dress, 648 00:30:46,458 --> 00:30:48,958 but some say she may have been in the wrong place 649 00:30:48,958 --> 00:30:50,250 at the wrong time. 650 00:30:51,750 --> 00:30:54,042 Others say she was exactly where she was supposed to be 651 00:30:54,042 --> 00:30:57,208 playing her role in the RFK assassination. 652 00:30:58,750 --> 00:31:01,500 (gun banging) (people screaming) 653 00:31:01,500 --> 00:31:04,125 - From a family photo, witnesses believe 654 00:31:04,125 --> 00:31:06,792 that 19-year-old Elayn Neal is the woman 655 00:31:06,792 --> 00:31:08,500 in the polka dot dress. 656 00:31:08,708 --> 00:31:10,042 She later marries a man 657 00:31:10,042 --> 00:31:12,542 who makes a startling deathbed confession. 658 00:31:13,750 --> 00:31:16,042 The man once worked for the CIA 659 00:31:16,042 --> 00:31:19,583 and his specialization was mind control experimentation. 660 00:31:21,208 --> 00:31:24,083 The claim that Jerry Capehart, Elayn Neal's second husband, 661 00:31:24,083 --> 00:31:27,333 worked in the CIA in mind control could provide a link 662 00:31:27,333 --> 00:31:30,292 between Elayn and the RFK assassination. 663 00:31:30,292 --> 00:31:32,792 It could even be a link to something much bigger 664 00:31:32,792 --> 00:31:34,292 than Elayn and Sirhan. 665 00:31:34,292 --> 00:31:36,750 (dramatic music) (words beeping) 666 00:31:36,750 --> 00:31:38,542 At the time of the assassination, 667 00:31:38,542 --> 00:31:41,792 the CIA is conducting illegal human experimentation 668 00:31:41,792 --> 00:31:43,417 called MK-Ultra. 669 00:31:45,125 --> 00:31:49,375 - The CIA began doing a lot of odd and nefarious experiments 670 00:31:49,375 --> 00:31:51,458 trying to see if they could control people. 671 00:31:51,458 --> 00:31:57,125 And so the CIA by the 1960s had gotten universities involved 672 00:31:58,042 --> 00:31:59,708 in helping them with research, finding them subjects, 673 00:31:59,708 --> 00:32:03,208 people to be hypnotized or drugged. 674 00:32:03,208 --> 00:32:06,875 They actually took people off the street to do this. 675 00:32:06,875 --> 00:32:08,833 Theoretically, they would wanna use this 676 00:32:08,833 --> 00:32:10,417 to infiltrate other countries, 677 00:32:10,417 --> 00:32:13,042 but there's talk that the CIA was using this 678 00:32:13,042 --> 00:32:15,375 to create robot assassins. 679 00:32:15,375 --> 00:32:17,250 - The Manuchurian Candidate theory 680 00:32:17,250 --> 00:32:19,417 from the movie by the same name 681 00:32:19,417 --> 00:32:22,792 is a theory that says a person can be programmed 682 00:32:22,792 --> 00:32:26,875 to become an assassin and never even know that they did it. 683 00:32:26,875 --> 00:32:27,875 (gun banging) 684 00:32:28,042 --> 00:32:30,958 (dramatic music) 685 00:32:32,208 --> 00:32:36,208 - Sirhan would've been a perfect candidate for MK-Ultra. 686 00:32:36,208 --> 00:32:38,708 He's an impressionable young man 687 00:32:38,708 --> 00:32:42,500 and it's possible that he's suffering from a brain injury. 688 00:32:42,500 --> 00:32:45,250 Two years earlier, he'd fallen from a horse. 689 00:32:45,250 --> 00:32:47,708 And who better to draw him into the program 690 00:32:47,708 --> 00:32:49,208 than a pretty young woman. 691 00:32:49,208 --> 00:32:51,625 - Elayn Neal might have been a perfect person 692 00:32:51,625 --> 00:32:53,083 to recruit into this operation. 693 00:32:53,083 --> 00:32:54,417 She's home alone. 694 00:32:54,417 --> 00:32:57,250 She's young and impressionable. 695 00:32:57,250 --> 00:32:58,458 Elayn's family thought 696 00:32:58,458 --> 00:33:00,333 that maybe this would explain her odd behavior 697 00:33:00,333 --> 00:33:03,083 after the assassination where she would disappear 698 00:33:03,083 --> 00:33:04,500 for long periods of time. 699 00:33:06,542 --> 00:33:08,042 - When the woman in the polka dot dress 700 00:33:08,042 --> 00:33:10,042 whispered in his ear, that could have been 701 00:33:10,042 --> 00:33:13,708 what triggered Sirhan's assassination programming. 702 00:33:13,708 --> 00:33:18,000 - Sirhan had a totally glassed-over look on his face 703 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:21,208 like he wasn't totally in control of his mind. 704 00:33:21,208 --> 00:33:24,208 That's something very unusual that are clues 705 00:33:24,208 --> 00:33:27,542 to what might or might not be happening here. 706 00:33:27,542 --> 00:33:29,500 - The question is, where's the evidence 707 00:33:29,500 --> 00:33:32,292 that Sirhan was part of this mind control program? 708 00:33:32,292 --> 00:33:34,542 His defense team wants answers. 709 00:33:36,042 --> 00:33:38,542 - [Laurence] In 2008, with the mind control theory 710 00:33:38,542 --> 00:33:41,375 gaining interest, Sirhan's lawyers arrange for him 711 00:33:41,375 --> 00:33:44,667 to undergo a new psychological evaluation. 712 00:33:45,625 --> 00:33:47,917 - Harvard Medical School professor Dan Brown, 713 00:33:47,917 --> 00:33:50,042 a forensic psychiatrist, 714 00:33:50,042 --> 00:33:52,042 is one of the world's leading experts on hypnosis, 715 00:33:52,042 --> 00:33:57,292 and he spent more than 120 hours with Sirhan Sirhan. 716 00:33:57,875 --> 00:33:59,667 - Dan Brown discovered that Sirhan 717 00:33:59,667 --> 00:34:03,875 is about the most easy person in the world to hypnotize. 718 00:34:03,875 --> 00:34:05,792 Brown's conclusion was that Sirhan 719 00:34:05,792 --> 00:34:08,375 had been put under hypnosis. 720 00:34:08,375 --> 00:34:10,458 He thinks he's an innocent man. 721 00:34:11,542 --> 00:34:13,333 - [Laurence] But even if it is possible 722 00:34:13,333 --> 00:34:16,917 that Sirhan was under some kind of CIA control, 723 00:34:16,917 --> 00:34:19,958 what could possibly be the reason why? 724 00:34:19,958 --> 00:34:21,375 - Leading up to this assassination, 725 00:34:21,375 --> 00:34:23,625 there are many people in the CIA 726 00:34:23,625 --> 00:34:25,458 who have it out for Robert Kennedy. 727 00:34:25,458 --> 00:34:28,333 - Bobby Kennedy has made quite a few enemies in the CIA, 728 00:34:28,333 --> 00:34:31,292 starting with his time as attorney general. 729 00:34:31,292 --> 00:34:34,500 He doesn't believe that the CIA should be doing 730 00:34:34,500 --> 00:34:36,875 some of the things they're doing around the world, 731 00:34:36,875 --> 00:34:38,458 that they're abusing their power. 732 00:34:40,125 --> 00:34:43,375 - Kennedy is upset that the CIA 733 00:34:43,375 --> 00:34:47,667 is attempting to assassinate Fidel Castro in Cuba. 734 00:34:47,667 --> 00:34:51,083 Kennedy even wonders if the CIA had something to do 735 00:34:51,083 --> 00:34:53,292 with the assassination of his brother. 736 00:34:53,292 --> 00:34:54,750 - Within the intelligence community, 737 00:34:54,750 --> 00:34:58,417 there certainly is concern about Bobby Kennedy 738 00:34:58,417 --> 00:35:00,792 and his potential rise to power. 739 00:35:00,792 --> 00:35:04,000 The only thing worse than Bobby Kennedy as attorney general 740 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,458 would be Bobby Kennedy as president of the United States. 741 00:35:07,458 --> 00:35:10,042 - As president, Robert Kennedy would be privy 742 00:35:10,042 --> 00:35:12,250 to all of the CIA's secrets. 743 00:35:12,250 --> 00:35:15,583 In fact, he could force them to shut down operations 744 00:35:15,583 --> 00:35:18,375 and perhaps even shake up the entire agency. 745 00:35:24,375 --> 00:35:26,917 - If Sirhan was really programmed to murder, 746 00:35:26,917 --> 00:35:30,917 then his defense team argues he deserves a lighter sentence. 747 00:35:30,917 --> 00:35:33,250 - [Laurence] In a 2011 hearing, 748 00:35:33,250 --> 00:35:36,042 Sirhan's lawyers take a new tack. 749 00:35:36,042 --> 00:35:38,458 - Sirhan's lawyers accused the CIA 750 00:35:38,458 --> 00:35:41,375 of making him an unwitting foil 751 00:35:41,375 --> 00:35:44,208 for their operation to kill Kennedy. 752 00:35:44,208 --> 00:35:47,250 - The magistrate, however, rejects this theory. 753 00:35:47,250 --> 00:35:49,250 He says there's inference, 754 00:35:49,250 --> 00:35:52,042 but there's no actual proof of what happened. 755 00:35:52,042 --> 00:35:54,042 (dramatic music) 756 00:35:54,042 --> 00:35:56,208 But Robert Kennedy still has enemies, 757 00:35:56,208 --> 00:35:58,583 not enemies just in the CIA, 758 00:35:58,583 --> 00:36:00,333 but enemies who are willing to kill, 759 00:36:00,333 --> 00:36:01,667 especially people who cross them. 760 00:36:05,667 --> 00:36:06,875 - ...attorney's in no position to override- 761 00:36:06,875 --> 00:36:07,875 - [Laurence] Before becoming attorney general 762 00:36:07,875 --> 00:36:09,375 under his brother, 763 00:36:09,375 --> 00:36:11,625 Robert Kennedy first makes a name for himself 764 00:36:11,625 --> 00:36:14,250 as general counsel for a Senate committee 765 00:36:14,250 --> 00:36:17,833 going after organized crime in the late 1950s. 766 00:36:19,625 --> 00:36:22,250 - As the Senate committee's top lawyer, 767 00:36:22,250 --> 00:36:24,958 Robert Kennedy personally questioned 768 00:36:24,958 --> 00:36:27,083 the witnesses pretty aggressively, 769 00:36:27,083 --> 00:36:28,792 and these hearings were televised. 770 00:36:33,042 --> 00:36:34,875 - Kennedy put himself in the crosshairs 771 00:36:34,875 --> 00:36:37,708 of some of the most merciless men in the United States. 772 00:36:38,750 --> 00:36:39,792 And some people wonder, 773 00:36:39,792 --> 00:36:42,875 did these men finally get their revenge? 774 00:36:42,875 --> 00:36:45,708 (dramatic music) 775 00:36:48,500 --> 00:36:52,333 - One of Kennedy's targets is Sam Momo Giancana. 776 00:36:52,333 --> 00:36:54,333 He's the mob boss in Chicago. 777 00:36:56,417 --> 00:36:59,458 - Giancana is known for being particularly merciless, 778 00:36:59,458 --> 00:37:03,167 sometimes even hanging his victims by meat hooks. 779 00:37:03,167 --> 00:37:06,292 And Robert Kennedy on national television 780 00:37:06,292 --> 00:37:08,208 accuses him of murder to his face. 781 00:37:17,167 --> 00:37:20,042 - Giancana responds by pleading the fifth 782 00:37:20,042 --> 00:37:21,625 with a sinister smile. 783 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,500 - And this infuriates Giancana. 784 00:37:40,625 --> 00:37:43,250 - When Robert Kennedy becomes attorney general 785 00:37:43,250 --> 00:37:45,458 targeting those same Mafia guys 786 00:37:45,458 --> 00:37:48,875 who he starts to eat for lunch and dinner, too. 787 00:37:48,875 --> 00:37:50,875 Bobby Kennedy was the greatest crime fighter 788 00:37:50,875 --> 00:37:52,500 this country has ever had. 789 00:37:52,500 --> 00:37:54,542 - There's a member of the Giancana family 790 00:37:54,542 --> 00:37:58,750 who has said that the Kennedys' attacks on the mob 791 00:37:58,750 --> 00:38:00,875 were such that Giancana ordered a hit 792 00:38:00,875 --> 00:38:03,208 on both John Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy. 793 00:38:03,208 --> 00:38:04,958 And the mob would certainly have the means 794 00:38:04,958 --> 00:38:08,208 and the opportunity and the motive to kill Robert Kennedy. 795 00:38:08,208 --> 00:38:09,708 (dramatic music) 796 00:38:09,708 --> 00:38:12,708 - Perhaps Sirhan is just the patsy. 797 00:38:12,708 --> 00:38:17,167 So a Mafia hit man can take the fatal shot at Kennedy 798 00:38:17,167 --> 00:38:21,542 and escape while Sirhan is being ganged up by the crowd. 799 00:38:22,875 --> 00:38:25,625 - [Laurence] Kennedy also makes an enemy of Jimmy Hoffa, 800 00:38:25,625 --> 00:38:27,833 the powerful head of the Teamsters Union. 801 00:38:28,833 --> 00:38:31,208 - Bobby was convinced that Jimmy Hoffa 802 00:38:31,208 --> 00:38:34,125 had connections to organized crime, 803 00:38:34,125 --> 00:38:35,958 and Bobby truly believed 804 00:38:35,958 --> 00:38:39,750 that it was a conspiracy of organized evil. 805 00:38:39,750 --> 00:38:41,792 - The two of them going up against each other, 806 00:38:41,792 --> 00:38:44,833 I mean, it really was intense and they hated each other. 807 00:38:50,917 --> 00:38:52,833 - And Hoffa finally snaps 808 00:38:52,833 --> 00:38:54,833 and he says to Kennedy, "You're sick. 809 00:38:54,833 --> 00:38:57,500 "That's what's the matter with you, you're sick." 810 00:38:57,500 --> 00:39:00,208 - In September of 1962, 811 00:39:00,208 --> 00:39:03,000 Jimmy Hoffa is on trial for extortion. 812 00:39:04,625 --> 00:39:06,458 - Hoffa gets a hung verdict, 813 00:39:06,458 --> 00:39:09,208 but he's still livid about all of this, 814 00:39:09,208 --> 00:39:10,667 and people say that he wants 815 00:39:10,667 --> 00:39:13,333 to fire bomb Bobby Kennedy's house. 816 00:39:13,333 --> 00:39:14,875 - After Sirhan's arrest, 817 00:39:14,875 --> 00:39:17,875 the organized crime theory is quickly dismissed. 818 00:39:17,875 --> 00:39:20,875 Some say that the legal blowback from killing Kennedy 819 00:39:20,875 --> 00:39:23,583 is something that the mob would want to avoid. 820 00:39:23,583 --> 00:39:26,542 - Some say that organized crime may have been in cahoots 821 00:39:26,542 --> 00:39:28,667 with the CIA, and it wouldn't have been the first time 822 00:39:28,667 --> 00:39:31,833 that they had worked together on an assassination plot. 823 00:39:31,833 --> 00:39:35,125 - But still in the end, there's no evidence showing 824 00:39:35,125 --> 00:39:37,125 the Mafia was directly involved, 825 00:39:37,125 --> 00:39:41,125 and Sirhan Sirhan himself has never brought it up. 826 00:39:41,125 --> 00:39:43,792 (dramatic music) 827 00:39:44,917 --> 00:39:46,542 - [Laurence] Whoever is responsible 828 00:39:46,542 --> 00:39:49,458 for Robert Kennedy's death, one thing is certain. 829 00:39:49,458 --> 00:39:52,292 That his assassination robbed America 830 00:39:52,292 --> 00:39:54,542 of one of her greatest statesmen. 831 00:39:54,542 --> 00:39:57,167 (dramatic music) 832 00:39:57,167 --> 00:39:58,708 - I think that one of the things 833 00:39:58,708 --> 00:40:03,000 that we can admire about Bobby is that he had this awakening, 834 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:06,042 being committed to those who were poor, 835 00:40:06,042 --> 00:40:10,583 to those who are not sharing in our democratic life, 836 00:40:10,583 --> 00:40:14,542 and decided to try his best to get to know people 837 00:40:14,542 --> 00:40:15,958 who are so different than him, 838 00:40:17,375 --> 00:40:20,417 and I find that to be extremely inspirational. 839 00:40:20,417 --> 00:40:21,542 And unfortunately, 840 00:40:21,542 --> 00:40:23,542 that willingness to be close to people 841 00:40:23,542 --> 00:40:26,000 is part of his demise. 842 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:28,917 - [Crowd] RFK! RFK! 843 00:40:28,917 --> 00:40:31,375 - [Laurence] Today, more than five decades later, 844 00:40:31,375 --> 00:40:34,708 only one person has been charged and convicted 845 00:40:34,708 --> 00:40:39,208 in Robert Kennedy's assassination, Sirhan Sirhan. 846 00:40:39,208 --> 00:40:42,667 - Sirhan Sirhan still sits in prison to this day. 847 00:40:42,667 --> 00:40:45,750 He's exhausted all of his legal appeals, 848 00:40:45,750 --> 00:40:48,333 yet he still comes up for parole 849 00:40:48,333 --> 00:40:49,708 and he still insists 850 00:40:49,708 --> 00:40:53,000 that he doesn't remember shooting Robert Kennedy. 851 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,792 (dramatic music) 852 00:40:57,042 --> 00:40:59,000 - In August of 2021, 853 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:03,667 Sirhan appears before the parole board for the 16th time. 854 00:41:03,667 --> 00:41:07,708 This time the board finds the 77-year-old Sirhan 855 00:41:07,708 --> 00:41:10,375 no longer poses a threat to society. 856 00:41:10,375 --> 00:41:12,542 They vote to release him on parole, 857 00:41:12,542 --> 00:41:16,417 but the governor of California overrules the decision 858 00:41:16,417 --> 00:41:19,750 and Sirhan returns to his prison cell. 859 00:41:19,750 --> 00:41:22,875 His next parole hearing is in 2026. 860 00:41:24,542 --> 00:41:26,208 I'm Laurence Fishburne. 861 00:41:26,208 --> 00:41:27,667 Thank you for watching 862 00:41:27,667 --> 00:41:29,958 "History's Greatest Mysteries." 863 00:41:29,958 --> 00:41:32,167 (dramatic music)