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Jack Ruby

FieldDetail
Real NameJacob Leon Rubenstein
BornMarch 25, 1911, Chicago, Illinois
DiedJanuary 3, 1967, Dallas, Texas (lung cancer, while in custody)
RoleShot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald on live television, November 24, 1963
OccupationOwner of Carousel Club (strip club), Dallas; organized crime connections
Evidence RatingSTRONG — Ruby's mob connections are documented; his motive for killing Oswald is disputed

Status: Deceased (1967)

Overview​

Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald at point-blank range in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters on November 24, 1963 — two days after Kennedy's assassination — in front of television cameras broadcasting live to the nation. This act prevented Oswald from ever standing trial and answering questions under oath about the assassination.

Ruby was tried, convicted of murder, and sentenced to death. His conviction was overturned on appeal. While awaiting a new trial, he died in custody of lung cancer in January 1967.

The Warren Commission concluded Ruby acted alone out of grief over Kennedy's death and a desire to spare Jacqueline Kennedy from testifying at a trial. Most researchers consider this conclusion implausible given Ruby's background and connections.

Organized Crime Connections​

Ruby's connections to organized crime are extensively documented:

  • Ruby was born Jacob Rubenstein in Chicago and had documented connections to Chicago mob figures from a young age.
  • In the 1940s and 1950s, Ruby was involved in illegal gambling operations in Dallas and had documented contacts with mob figures including Carlos Marcello (New Orleans) and Santos Trafficante (Florida/Cuba).
  • Ruby made telephone calls to known organized crime figures in the weeks before the assassination, according to phone records obtained by the HSCA.
  • The HSCA found that Ruby's pattern of phone calls in October-November 1963 was "unusual" and consistent with coordinating with organized crime figures.
  • Ruby had Dallas police contacts and was known to socialize with Dallas PD officers — explaining how he gained access to the police basement.

Ruby's Own Statements​

Ruby asked to be taken to Washington to speak to the Warren Commission, stating he feared for his life in Dallas. He was denied. He told Chief Justice Warren:

"I want to tell the truth, and I can't tell it here... If you put me in Washington, I could tell you the truth."

In other statements Ruby indicated that the "real story" would never come out, and that powerful forces were involved in the assassination. His statements were disjointed and he was reportedly medicated during his testimony.

Ruby died in January 1967. He told reporters he was injected with cancer cells to kill him.

Access to the Police Basement​

How Ruby gained access to a supposedly secured police basement holding the most important prisoner in American history has never been satisfactorily explained. Theories include:

  • Help from Dallas police contacts (Ruby knew many officers)
  • A deliberate security stand-down
  • Ruby was allowed in by someone who knew Oswald needed to be silenced

Counterarguments​

  • Ruby claimed he acted spontaneously out of anger and grief.
  • The Warren Commission accepted this version.
  • Ruby had no known direct operational connection to the CIA or foreign intelligence.

Sources​

  • House Select Committee on Assassinations, Volume IX (1979) — Ruby chapter
  • Seth Kantor, Who Was Jack Ruby? (1978)
  • Warren Commission testimony of Jack Ruby (June 1964)

Last Updated: 2026-04-08