Brother of JFK Assassin Dies in Wichita Falls

Few Wichita Falls residents were aware of it, but a connection to one of the biggest events in United States history lived right here in Wichita Falls. That connection was severed this week when Robert Oswald passed away. On November 22, 1963, Oswald's younger brother, Lee Harvey Oswald, allegedly assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

According to the Dallas News, Robert Oswald died on Monday, November 27th in Wichita Falls. He is survived by his wife, Vada; his daughter, Cathy Barrett; his son, Robert Oswald;  four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Robert, Lee Harvey, and a half-brother, John Pic, spent their childhood in Louisiana before their mother, Marguerite, moved the family to the Dallas area. Robert enlisted in the Marines in 1952 at age 18. Lee Harvey would follow in his brother's path and also enlisted in 1955.

"There is no question in my mind that Lee was responsible for the three shots fired, two of the shots hitting the president and killing him,"  Robert said in a 1993 interview with Frontline. "You look at all the data there, and it comes up to one conclusion as far as I’m concerned the Warren Commission was correct."

He said that despite not understanding the reasons for his brother's actions, he believed that Lee Harvey had committed the crime. He cited the opinions of experts and the amount of physical evidence for his reasoning. His brother never stood trial for the assassination because he was killed by Jack Ruby while in police custody in Dallas.

Robert had most recently made national news in 2010 when he tried to stop the sale of the coffin his brother had originally been buried in. Lee's body had been exhumed to put conspiracy theories to rest and an anonymous bidder ended up buying the coffin for $87,469. Robert had purchased the coffin originally for $300 in 1963 and said that that made him the rightful owner.

Robert Oswald was laid to rest in a private ceremony earlier this week.