When we think of witnesses, we usually picture a human sitting solemnly under oath. But the reality is far more whimsical: across the past few decades, a parade of parrots squawking, dogs barking, and even a robot beeping have been called to testify. In this roundup of 10 times nonhumans were summoned as witnesses, you’ll meet the feathered, furry, and metallic characters who stepped into the courtroom—or even the halls of Congress—to share what they “saw.” Grab a seat, because the evidence is anything but ordinary.

10 Bud The Parrot

In May 2015, a dramatic murder‑suicide unfolded in Michigan. Glenna Duram, 49, opened fire on her husband, Martin, delivering five bullets before turning the gun on herself. While Martin succumbed to his wounds, Glenna survived the self‑inflicted shot. The unlikely sole eyewitness was Bud, Martin’s African Grey parrot, perched nearby.

Bud began mimicking the chaotic scene, repeatedly uttering the phrase “Don’t f—g shoot” in a voice that sounded eerily like Martin’s. The bird seemed to switch between Glenna’s and Martin’s tones, always concluding with Martin’s chilling warning. According to Martin’s mother, Lillian, Bud was a notoriously filthy bird with a habit of echoing anything he overheard, lending credence to his testimony.

Prosecutors attempted to admit Bud as a courtroom witness, but the motion was denied. Nonetheless, the evidence contributed to Glenna’s conviction for murder.

9 Elmo

In 2002, the iconic red‑mouthed puppet Elmo from Sesame Street made history as the first—and still only—nonhuman to testify before the United States Congress. He appeared before the Education Appropriations Subcommittee to advocate for increased funding for school music programs.

Decked out in a tiny suit and tie, Elmo delivered his plea for more musical instruments and research support. The testimony took place amid a turbulent political climate, sandwiched between the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the looming Iraq War. While some found the spectacle amusing, Elmo also managed to interrupt other witnesses and, at one point, attempted to gnaw on the microphone.

8 Murphy The Dog

In 2005, Albert K. Smith was arrested for shooting his ex‑wife’s boyfriend. While incarcerated, Smith wrote a letter addressed to “Murphy Smith,” prompting prosecutors to issue a subpoena for this mysterious witness. To their astonishment, Murphy turned out to be Smith’s five‑year‑old Shih Tzu.

The dog was escorted to the courthouse by Smith’s unnamed brother, only to be barred entry because canine visitors are prohibited in courtrooms. The embarrassed prosecutors quickly apologized for the mix‑up, and the canine witness never took the stand.

7 Scooby The Dog

In 2008, a 59‑year‑old woman in Paris was found hanging in her apartment. While authorities initially labeled the death a suicide, her family suspected foul play and demanded a deeper investigation. The only living witness was her unnamed dog, later christened “Scooby” after the famous cartoon detective.

Police believed Scooby was present at the time of the suspected murder. When presented with a suspect, Scooby erupted in a ferocious bark. Though the court never disclosed the ultimate verdict, Judge Thomas Cassuto publicly thanked the dog, describing its behavior as “exemplary” and “invaluable assistance.”

6 Tango The Dog

French courts seem to have a particular fondness for canine testimony. In 2014, a nine‑year‑old Labrador named Tango was summoned as a witness in a murder trial after his owner was slain.

During the proceedings, the judge ordered the suspect to threaten Tango with a bat, hoping the dog’s reaction would reveal guilt. To verify the method, prosecutors also used a control dog—another nine‑year‑old Labrador named Norman—subjecting him to the same threat. While the exact reactions remain undisclosed, the experiment was widely condemned as absurd, and the case ultimately failed to produce a decisive outcome.

5 Officer Azor K9

In 2012, Florida driver Rodney McGee faced a traffic citation. He requested a continuance, claiming his key witness—a German Shepherd police dog named Officer Azor K9—had not yet appeared.

McGee had even subpoenaed Azor, insisting the dog had been present at the scene when officers suspected him of transporting drugs. He allegedly planned to conceal marijuana in the courtroom to test whether Azor could sniff it out. When the handler finally led Azor into the courtroom, Judge Peter Bell refused to allow the canine testimony and also barred McGee from smuggling marijuana, instead fining him $300 for neglecting to use his turn signal.

4 Pepper The Robot

In 2018, Pepper, a humanoid robot from SoftBank Robotics, became the first robot to appear before the British Parliament. Alongside human experts—computer scientists and roboticists—Pepper delivered testimony intended to showcase the practical benefits of artificial intelligence and robotics.

During the session, Pepper answered questions from Members of Parliament, though observers could not determine whether the responses were pre‑programmed or generated by AI. The robot, equipped with microphones, cameras, and a touchscreen chest, has been deployed worldwide as a receptionist and service assistant. However, not all of Pepper’s ventures have been smooth; a notable incident involved the robot being terminated from a grocery‑store position.

3 Peach The Dog

In 2013, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales requested a witness statement from “Police Constable Peach” of the West Midlands Police Station. The station’s staff clarified that “PC Peach” was actually “PD Peach”—a German Shepherd police dog.

Despite the clarification, CPS insisted on a statement from the canine. The dog’s handler produced a handwritten “statement” that resembled the scribbles a dog might make, reading: “I chase him. I bite him. Bad man. He tasty. Good boy. Good boy Peach.” The document was signed with Peach’s paw print. The statement, posted on the station’s wall, quickly spread on social media, turning CPS into the subject of jokes.

2 Buddy The Dog

In the early 20th century, a Washington, D.C. court was asked to resolve a heated ownership dispute involving a dog. Major General Eli Helmick of the U.S. Armed Forces claimed he owned a dog named Buddy, purchased in 1920. Meanwhile, hat merchant Keeley Morse asserted that the same canine—though he called it Prince—belonged to him.

After Buddy vanished in November 1921, Helmick’s wife Florence discovered the animal in Morse’s hat shop months later, insisting it was Buddy. Morse countered that the dog in his shop was Prince, purchased a month before Buddy’s disappearance. Both parties presented receipts, photographs, and other documentation, but the judge sought a more direct method.

Judge Edward Kimball called the dog to the stand. Placed on a chair, the animal immediately leapt toward Mrs. Helmick, an action the judge interpreted as proof of Buddy’s true ownership. Consequently, the court ruled in favor of the Helmicks.

1 Max The Parrot

In November 1991, 36‑year‑old Jane Gill was discovered dead in her Northern California home. Gary Joseph Rasp, Gill’s business partner, became the primary suspect. The only potential eyewitness was Max, Gill’s African Grey parrot, who likely observed the crime.

After the murder, Max remained confined to his cage for two days, surviving on limited food and water until rescuers found him. Once rehabilitated at a pet shop, the bird began loudly squawking, “Richard, no, no, no!”

Rasp’s attorney, Charles Ogulnik, attempted to introduce Max’s exclamations as evidence, arguing that the bird’s protest could not be ignored. However, the district attorney objected, and the judge sustained the objection, preventing Max from being used as a witness. Later, Ogulnik clarified that he was not trying to produce the bird itself, but merely wanted to admit the bird’s statements. Max’s whereabouts were kept secret, and a private investigator jokingly claimed the parrot had entered a witness‑protection program, even changing its species from parrot to macaw.

When we think of courtroom drama, we picture humans taking the stand, swearing an oath, and spilling the truth. Yet, the phrase 10 times nonhumans have stepped into the spotlight, proving that testimony isn’t limited to flesh‑and‑blood witnesses. From chatty parrots to a beloved Sesame Street puppet, and even a robot, the legal world has occasionally welcomed the most unexpected participants.

Why 10 Times Nonhumans Matter in Legal History

These oddball cases highlight how courts sometimes stretch the definition of “witness” to include any creature or creation that can convey information—whether through squawks, barks, or programmed responses. Below, we rank ten of the most memorable nonhuman testimonies, from the feathered to the metallic.

10 Bud The Parrot

In May 2015, a tragic murder‑suicide unfolded in Michigan. Glenna Duram, aged 49, opened fire on her husband, Martin Duram, delivering five bullets before turning the gun on herself. While Martin succumbed to his injuries, Glenna survived the self‑inflicted wound. The sole living witness to this grim episode was Bud, an African grey parrot belonging to Martin.

Bud’s testimony emerged in a startlingly vocal fashion: the bird began echoing the phrase “Don’t f—g shoot” in a voice that resembled Martin’s. The repeated line, interspersed with alternating impressions of both Glenna and Martin, always concluded with Martin’s anguished request, effectively implicating Glenna as the shooter.

According to Martin’s mother, Lillian, Bud was a notoriously filthy bird with a penchant for mimicking anything it heard, lending credibility to its claims. Prosecutors attempted to admit Bud as an official witness, but the court denied the request. Nonetheless, the evidence contributed to Glenna’s conviction for murder.

9 Elmo

Back in 2002, the iconic red‑mouthed puppet Elmo from Sesame Street shattered expectations by becoming the first—and still the only—nonhuman to testify before the United States Congress. He appeared before the Education Appropriations Subcommittee to advocate for increased funding dedicated to music education in schools.

Elmo’s mission was to persuade lawmakers to allocate money for purchasing musical instruments and supporting research into music pedagogy. Dressed in a miniature suit and tie for the occasion, the beloved character attempted to make a serious case for the arts.

The testimony took place during a particularly tense legislative session, sandwiched between the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the looming decision on the 2003 Iraq War. Amidst the gravity of the national agenda, Elmo managed to interrupt other witnesses and even tried to gnaw on the microphone, adding a whimsical yet memorable moment to the record.

8 Murphy The Dog

In 2005, a bizarre mix‑up unfolded in a Texas courtroom. Albert K. Smith, arrested for shooting his ex‑wife’s boyfriend, penned a letter from his cell to someone named Murphy Smith, prompting prosecutors to issue a subpoena for this mysterious individual. When the day arrived, the supposed “Murphy” turned out to be a five‑year‑old Shih Tzu belonging to Smith.

Murphy the dog was escorted to the courthouse by Smith’s unnamed brother, only to be turned away because the building’s policy forbids dogs. The prosecutors, visibly embarrassed, apologized for the misunderstanding and withdrew the subpoena.

This incident underscores how a simple miscommunication can lead to an unlikely canine being summoned as a legal witness, even though the courtroom doors remained firmly closed to him.

7 Scooby The Dog

In 2008, a 59‑year‑old woman was discovered hanging in her Paris residence, a death initially ruled a suicide. Her family, however, suspected foul play and demanded a deeper investigation. The only other occupant of the home at the time was her unnamed dog, later nicknamed Scooby after the famous cartoon sleuth.

Police believed Scooby had been present during the alleged homicide. When a suspect was brought before the court, prosecutors observed the dog’s reaction, noting that Scooby barked ferociously at the witness. This behavior was taken as a potential indicator of the suspect’s guilt.

Although the court never publicly disclosed its final decision, Judge Thomas Cassuto formally thanked Scooby for his “exemplary behavior and (was of) invaluable assistance,” highlighting the dog’s unexpected contribution to the case.

6 Tango The Dog

French courts seem to have a particular fondness for canine testimony. In 2014, a murder trial in France called upon Tango, a nine‑year‑old Labrador, as a witness after his owner was brutally killed. Prosecutors believed Tango had observed the crime.

During the proceedings, the judge ordered the suspect to threaten Tango with a baseball bat, hoping the dog’s reaction would reveal the perpetrator’s guilt. To validate the experiment, a second Labrador named Norman served as a control, also subjected to the bat threat.

While the exact responses of Tango and Norman remain undocumented, the exercise was widely criticized as absurd, and the suspect’s attorney labeled the whole approach as “absurd.” The attempt ultimately failed to produce any decisive evidence.

5 Officer Azor K9

In 2012, Florida driver Rodney McGee faced a traffic citation but demanded a continuance because his “key witness” was missing. The witness he cited was Officer Azor K9, a German Shepherd employed by the police department.

McGee had even issued a subpoena for Azor, believing the dog’s presence at the alleged drug‑related stop would be crucial. When a police handler finally led the K9 into the courtroom, McGee was stunned, having never imagined a dog could be summoned as a legal witness.

Judge Peter Bell, unimpressed, barred Azor from testifying and also denied McGee’s request to hide marijuana in the courtroom for the dog to sniff. Instead, the judge fined McGee $300 for failing to use his turn signal, effectively ending the canine‑witness episode.

4 Pepper The Robot

In 2018, Pepper, a humanoid robot created by SoftBank Robotics, made history by appearing before the UK Parliament’s select committee on artificial intelligence. While several human experts also testified, Pepper’s presence marked the first time a robot took the floor in such a setting.

The robot delivered testimony on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, discussing AI’s potential, robotics, and how these technologies could benefit society. Pepper fielded questions from MPs, though observers could not determine whether the answers were pre‑programmed or generated in real time.

Beyond this high‑profile appearance, Pepper has been employed as a receptionist and service robot worldwide. However, not all of its deployments have been smooth; one Pepper was famously dismissed from a grocery‑store job, illustrating that even robots can face employment challenges.

3 Peach The Dog

In 2013, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales requested a witness statement from “Police Constable Peach” of the West Midlands Police Station. The station’s staff quickly clarified that the “PC” designation actually referred to PD—Police Dog—Peach, a German Shepherd.

Despite the clarification, CPS insisted on a formal statement from the canine. Peach’s handler complied, drafting a whimsical report that read, “I chase him. I bite him. Bad man. He tasty. Good boy. Good boy Peach,” purportedly penned in a wavy script reminiscent of a dog’s paw‑print writing.

The statement bore Peach’s paw print as a signature. The four‑year‑old dog’s service number, beginning with “PD,” left no doubt about his identity. The document was posted on the station’s wall and eventually surfaced on social media, where the CPS’s insistence became the subject of widespread jokes.

2 Buddy The Dog

In the early 20th century, a peculiar ownership dispute in Washington, D.C., led a court to call a dog as a witness. Major General Eli Helmick of the U.S. Armed Forces claimed ownership of a dog named Buddy, while hat merchant Keeley Morse asserted the animal—known to him as Prince—was his.

Helmick argued he purchased Buddy in 1920. The dog vanished in November 1921, only to be discovered months later in Morse’s hat shop by Helmick’s wife, Florence. She swore the dog was Buddy, belonging to her husband. Morse countered that the animal was his own Prince, purchased a month before Buddy’s disappearance.

The case escalated, with both parties presenting receipts, photographs, and other documentation. Judge Edward Kimball ultimately decided on a hands‑on approach. He called the dog into the courtroom, placed it on a chair, and observed it leap toward Mrs. Helmick. The judge ruled that the dog’s enthusiastic greeting confirmed Buddy’s true ownership, siding with the General.

1 Max The Parrot

In November 1991, 36‑year‑old Jane Gill was found dead in her Northern California home. Gary Joseph Rasp, Gill’s business partner, became the prime suspect. The only potential eyewitness was Max, Gill’s African grey parrot, who may have observed the crime.

After the murder, Max remained locked in its cage for two days, surviving on meager supplies. Rescued and taken to a pet shop for care, the parrot soon recovered enough to vocalize a frantic warning: “Richard, no, no, no!”

Rasp’s attorney, Charles Ogulnik, attempted to introduce Max’s squawk as evidence, arguing that the bird’s outcry implicated his client. However, the district attorney objected, and the judge sustained the objection, preventing the bird from officially testifying. Later, Ogulnik clarified that he sought to admit the bird’s statements as evidence, not to have the bird sit on the stand. Max’s whereabouts were kept secret, and a private investigator humorously suggested the bird had entered a witness‑protection program, even joking that its identity had been altered from a parrot to a macaw.

Most UFO sightings involve a single observer, which makes it tough to convince skeptics that the event wasn’t just a trick of the mind. Yet, there are cases where several people have simultaneously witnessed the phenomenon, and that completely shifts the narrative. Below we count down the top 10 little‑known multi‑witness UFO incidents that have left both the public and investigators baffled.

10 Hudson Valley Sightings

Why the top 10 little sightings matter

As the Fourth of July fireworks began to light up the Hudson Valley sky in late June 1983, a low‑drone hum cut through the celebratory blasts, heralding the arrival of a massive disc‑shaped object described as “about the width of sixteen or seventeen houses!”

The craft hovered silently above the crowd; the humming ceased, and the disc hung in the air, unnervingly still. Minutes later the hum returned, and the object shot away at extraordinary speed.

This episode was one of many sightings recorded in the valley during the early 1980s, but it stood out because of the sheer number of eyewitnesses who reported the event.

On March 24, 1983, a surge of reports about strange lights and a mysterious craft in Yorktown overwhelmed the town’s switchboard. The Taconic Parkway became a traffic jam of stunned drivers who stopped their cars to stare skyward at the presumed UFO gliding overhead.

9 Arthur Kill River Incident

During the night of July 14‑15, 2001, a group of at least fifteen onlookers reported golden‑orange lights forming a V‑shaped pattern over the Arthur Kill River along the New Jersey Turnpike. Witnesses debated whether the lights were separate objects or part of a single, larger V‑shaped craft.

Other observers described a more scattered arrangement, noting that the lights faded one by one into the darkness. Newark Airport was contacted, but radar revealed nothing unusual, and the National Weather Service confirmed clear skies that evening.

Veronica Bagley managed to record the phenomenon on video, while Patty Ercallino called the experience “very peaceful, very serene, and very beautiful,” even suggesting it might have been a “miracle.”

8 The Cosford Incident

UFO researcher Nick Pope reported that over a hundred individuals saw an unidentified craft on the night of March 30‑31, 1993, across western England. Many of those who reported the sighting were police officers or military personnel, and Pope investigated the case while serving with the British Ministry of Defence.

The majority described a triangular object moving at a breakneck pace. One policeman, accompanying a scout group on the Quantock Hills in Somerset, likened the craft to “two Concordes flying side by side and joined together.” Additional reports came from Cornwall, Devon, the West Midlands, and two RAF bases—Shawbury and Cosford—yet neither base detected the craft on radar. Pope deemed the incident of “considerable defence significance” and urged further inquiry.

7 Ellsworth Air Force Base Sighting

On the evening of August 5, 1953, a sizable group of military personnel at Ellsworth Air Force Base, along with 45 nearby residents, observed a bizarre aerial event. The first report came just after 8:00 PM from Mrs. Kellian, a volunteer with the Ground Observer Corps, who saw a vivid red glow high in the clear night sky.

Following protocol, she immediately relayed the sighting to the base’s radar operator. The object was picked up on radar, heading straight for the base, prompting an F‑84 jet on patrol to investigate.

When the F‑84 approached within five kilometres, the UFO accelerated away. A second F‑84 pilot also visualized the disc, but both aircraft experienced strange malfunctions and could not keep pace, ultimately returning to base.

6 Exeter

Norman Muscarello was hitchhiking home near Exeter, New Hampshire, in the early hours of September 3, 1965, when he spotted a bright light racing toward him. He dove onto the roadside to avoid being struck, only for the object to swerve away at the last second, prompting him to flee the area.

Earlier, Officer Eugene Bertrand had encountered a frightened woman in a parked car who claimed a “flying object” was chasing her. Bertrand, assuming she was mistaken, dismissed her concerns and continued his patrol.

Around 3:00 AM Muscarello arrived at the Exeter Police Station, where Bertrand later joined him to investigate the reported sighting. Both men returned to the same stretch of Route 150, where the craft reappeared, approached them, and then vanished, leading to a flood of additional reports.

5 The Greifswald Lights

Beginning in early August 1990, residents along the Baltic Sea coast reported strange spherical lights. By August 24, the phenomenon had moved inland, with townspeople in Greifswald, eastern Germany, observing the luminous spheres hovering motionlessly for roughly thirty minutes.

The event appeared to involve two distinct clusters. The first formed a circle that remained largely still, moving only as a single unit. The second cluster arranged itself in a Y‑shape, with the lights moving independently of one another.

Both the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) and mainstream scientists have been unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the Greifswald lights, leaving the case one of the most thoroughly documented yet unresolved sightings.

4 Fort Beaufort

Bennie Smit, a farmer near Fort Beaufort in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, was convinced that he and his workers had witnessed a secret military craft on June 26, 1972, rather than an extraterrestrial vessel.

When the workers gathered in a shed, they reported a strange object hovering above a field. Smit inspected the scene himself and, believing the craft to be a top‑secret aircraft, opened fire with his .303 rifle. The bullets struck the object but caused no apparent damage.

Local police arrived just in time to see the craft land. The UFO resembled an oil drum with three distinct legs. Sergeant Kitching also fired at the object, prompting it to shift colors—from black to green, then yellow, and finally a pale white—before it lifted off, emitting a whirring sound.

The whirring grew louder as the craft ascended, then faded as it vanished from view.

3 Sighting Over Houston Goes Viral Online

On August 11, 2014, hundreds of Houstonians observed a circle of lights hovering in the evening sky. Photographs quickly spread across social media, and video footage later showed the lights moving independently rather than forming a static circle.

Dr. Carolyn Sumners of the Houston Museum of Natural Science warned against jumping to alien conclusions, urging investigators to consider alternative explanations before attributing the phenomenon to extraterrestrials.

Witnesses offered varied theories: some believed the lights were alien, while others suspected a government drone or reflections from a nearby football stadium.

2 Mass UFO Sighting During Baseball Game

During a 2013 minor‑league baseball game between the Vancouver Canadians and the Everett AquaSox, the crowd’s attention was diverted to a strange triangular object with illuminated edges hovering over the field.

Initial speculation ranged from a remote‑control helicopter to a possible government drone, but a local newspaper suggested the most likely source was a remote‑controlled device.

Weeks later, it was revealed that the sighting was a marketing stunt designed to promote a new planetarium theater at Vancouver’s H.R. MacMillan Space Center, explaining why the city recorded an unusually high number of UFO reports that year.

1 The Trindade UFO Incident

In October 1957, the Brazilian Navy established a scientific research station on the remote island of Trindade. By January 1958, the garrison began reporting a series of bizarre UFO encounters.

On New Year’s Day, the entire base witnessed a bright light sweeping across the sky. The following evening, a luminous object circled one of the navy ships for ten minutes, executing rapid, precise maneuvers.

On January 6, Commander Carlos A. Bacellar launched a weather balloon, only to see its telemetry cease as the balloon was seemingly “sucked” into a cloud and vanished. Minutes later the balloon re‑emerged, stripped of its instruments, while a silver object emerged from the same cloud.

On January 16, the crew of a navy vessel off Trindade observed a bright object moving directly over the ship toward the island. Photographs captured by an onboard observer were promptly released to the press, cementing the incident’s place in UFO history.

President John F. Kennedy arrived at Love Field in Dallas via Air Force One on November 22, 1963, after stops in San Antonio and Fort Worth in the Lone Star State. Thousands watched in delight as a motorcade with his vehicle made its way through the city toward a luncheon.

The president’s motorcade that day consisted of multiple vehicles, including a lead car, the president’s limousine, the president’s follow-up car, the vice president’s car, the vice president’s follow-up car, motorcycles, and several vehicles that contained Texas politicians, White House employees, and members of the press. Also present were the numerous Secret Service agents and local and state law enforcement.

The joyful mood of the day changed to sadness when Kennedy was shot and the motorcade headed to nearby Parkland Hospital. However, doctors could not save him, and Kennedy was pronounced dead by hospital staff at 1 pm on November 22.

With the 58th anniversary of JFK’s assassination, below is a glimpse into the lives of some of those in the president’s entourage that fateful day not named Kennedy or Johnson.

Related: 10 Moments In American History, As Seen From The Other Side

10 John Connally

Governor John Connally had worked as a coordinator for then-Congressional candidate Lyndon B. Johnson while in college. After Johnson’s victory, Connally worked for several years in Johnson’s Washington, D.C., office, then joined the naval reserve during World War II. He started as a naval ensign, ultimately becoming a lieutenant commander and receiving several military honors for his service.

After the war, Connally worked briefly with a law firm and eventually resumed working with Johnson, overseeing his successful races for U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate in the years leading up to Kennedy’s presidency. Connally also briefly served as Kennedy’s Secretary of the Navy before being elected the governor of Texas in 1962.

On November 22, 1963, Connally was in the president’s limousine and was struck by gunfire that caused injuries to his back, chest, wrist, and thigh. He survived his wounds and went on to serve approximately six more years as Texas governor. During a brief respite from politics, he practiced law again but later re-entered politics, advising Richard Nixon on various matters and unsuccessfully running for president.^[1]

9 Nellie Connally

Nellie Connally had aspired to become an actress—not a political wife—when she enrolled in college in the late 1930s. However, her plans changed when she met John Connally.

While riding in the presidential limousine on that sunny November day, Nellie noticed the adoration emanating from the crowds, telling President Kennedy, “You can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you.” Moments later, the fatal gunshots rang out, giving her the distinction of being the last to speak to Kennedy.

When not supporting her husband’s professional and political efforts, Nellie raised the couple’s five children, fought breast cancer, and raised funds for various charities. Their marriage lasted more than 50 years and ended with his death.^[2]

8 Jesse Curry

Jesse Curry had been Dallas’s Police Chief for nearly four years when President Kennedy arrived in the city on November 22, 1963. He rode in the motorcade’s lead car, an unmarked Dallas police vehicle that was intended to spot and divert trouble before it escalated. As protocol demanded, the lead car stayed between four and five car lengths ahead of the limousine transporting Kennedy—between approximately 70 and 85 feet.

Although Curry was lauded when the assassination investigation led to the quick arrest of suspected shooter Lee Harvey Oswald, the praise turned to criticism several days later when Oswald was fatally shot on live television while being transported to another prison. Reportedly, Curry was against such a public perp walk but gave in to the demands of other city leaders. He retired from the police department after 30 years of service, approximately three years after the assassination.^[3]

7 J.E. “Bill” Decker

Bill Decker was first elected Dallas County Sheriff in the late 1940s and never had an opponent in the 20-plus years he held that elected office. In the years leading up to November 23, 1963, the man once called the “most renowned lawman” to ever serve Dallas reportedly helped track down the bank robbers known as Bonnie and Clyde, worked with his counterparts in Oklahoma to arrange the return of a woman accused of murdering her husband, suspended five employees after a man was erroneously released from prison, and fired two longtime Texas lawmen.

However, Decker was more than just a crime solver; he also helped bring the sheriff’s department into the modern era.

Decker was in the lead car during President Kennedy’s ill-fated trip to Dallas. Fewer than 60 seconds after the gunfire erupted at 12:30 pm, Decker commenced the investigation that led to the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald less than two hours after the shooting.^[4]

6 Bill Greer

Had Bill Greer, a native of Northern Ireland, followed the professional path his older relatives chose, he may have become a farmer. Instead, he emigrated to the U.S., served in the Navy during World War II, and ultimately found employment with the Secret Service. He accompanied President Kennedy on many trips, including locations as far as Colombia and as close as New York City.

Greer drove the modified 1961 Lincoln convertible that transported Kennedy through Dallas on that fateful day. After momentarily slowing down after the shots were fired, he sped to Parkland Hospital.

Approximately 20 years after the assassination and long after he retired from the Secret Service, Greer broke his longstanding silence with the media. In so doing, he discussed how the tragic events in Dallas had haunted him for years and may have attributed to some health problems.^[5]

5 Samuel Kinney

There were eight Secret Service agents in or around a car—a 1955 Cadillac convertible modified for its role on November 22, 1963—directly behind President Kennedy’s. In fact, Kinney was the driver of the Secret Service follow-up car, the “Queen Mary.” And these Secret Service agents were charged with the same task they always performed in these instances: they watched for items flung from the crowd or other sudden actions from members of it.

Due to a change in plans, Kinney drove the follow-up car and recalled seeing Kennedy shot, then hitting the sirens and speeding up. He contributed to a later book that the only way the Secret Service could get Jackie Kennedy to let go of her husband was if they promised her they would “cover Kennedy’s head so that no one could see.”

Kinney began his career in law enforcement as a police officer in Washington, D.C. Five years after the assassination, and with a total of 18 years of Secret Service employment that also yielded assignments with three other presidents, Kinney retired.^[6]

4 Winston Lawson

Winston Lawson served time in the Army before joining the Secret Service.

Lawson helped plan most of the minute-by-minute details of President Kennedy’s fateful trip to Dallas, performing such tasks as vetting potential threats, determining the location of the president’s luncheon (as well as how to get there), and coordinating security for the motorcade and the luncheon. Lawson was in the lead car of the motorcade when Kennedy was shot.

Although Lawson’s professional skills were admirable, he often felt riddled with guilt about the event that he was most known for. At times, he “wished he had never been born.”. He retired from the Secret Service in 1981 after 22 years of service that allowed him to work with other presidents and vice presidents).^[7]

3 Ken O’Donnell

Ken O’Donnell was a member of the Air Force before becoming a member of the Kennedy brothers’ inner circle. During his tour of duty, he was captured by the enemy but managed to escape. Upon returning to the United States, he went to Harvard University, where he became friends with his football teammate Robert F. Kennedy. This friendship spurred O’Donnell’s eventual work on John Kennedy’s senatorial campaigns of 1952 and 1958, 1960 presidential campaign, and then double duty as his appointment secretary and special assistant.

The sunny weather in Dallas on that fall day prompted O’Donnell and others to remove the bubble top for Kennedy’s automobile tour of the city. This has led to some speculation that had the weather been dreary, and the bubble top stayed on, Kennedy’s wounds may not have been as severe. When Kennedy was shot, O’Donnell was in the follow-up car that contained eight Secret Service agents.

After Kennedy was pronounced dead, O’Donnell broke the news to Vice President and now-President Lyndon B. Johnson and advised him to head back to Washington D.C., to which Johnson complied. O’Donnell was less successful convincing Jackie Kennedy to leave the area after her husband’s death and having Air Force One head back to the nation’s capital before local officials could intervene.

O’Donnell served in the Johnson administration for two years. After he stepped away from the White House, he was president of an eponymously named company, unsuccessfully ran for Massachusetts governor, and coordinated several more presidential and gubernatorial campaigns.^[8]

2 Dave Powers

Dave Powers had served in the Air Force during the Second World War. One year after the war ended, while babysitting his sister’s children, John Kennedy asked Powers to help him with his first Congressional campaign. Powers accepted and was a fixture in every political campaign of John’s after that. When Kennedy became president, he named Powers his special assistant. Sometimes, Kennedy had Powers act as his surrogate, such as a meeting with a 4H club in South Carolina and a football team from Massachusetts that came to the White House.

On November 22, 1963, Powers was in the car that contained O’Donnell and the eight other Secret Service agents. After the assassination, and at the request of Robert F. Kennedy, Powers took the first steps at creating what is now the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. He also served as its first curator and was actively involved in worldwide efforts to raise funds for it.^[9]

1 Forrest Sorrels

Forrest Sorrels had started his Secret Service career as a clerk. Years later, after overseeing several presidential trips to Dallas and the surrounding region, he was named director of the agency’s Dallas office. In this capacity, Sorrels worked in tandem with others to coordinate President Kennedy’s itinerary for that November trip.

Sorrels had no ominous feelings when he and the other passengers in the lead car passed the Texas School Book Depository moments before the gunfire that killed President Kennedy sounded. Upon the shots being fired, his auditory and visual clues made him think the shots came from a direction different than the depository. About a half-hour after the motorcade arrived at Parkland Hospital. On his way back to the assassination site, he heard police radio reports suggesting the shots came from the depository. Thus, he headed in that direction. Before he could talk to many people at that location, a reporter introduced him to Abraham Zapruder, the clothing manufacturer who had captured the assassination on film.

After Sorrels took steps to ensure the Zapruder film would be developed, he learned of Oswald’s arrest and headed to the police station to learn what he could from him and about him. Sorrels spent most of the next few days at the Dallas Police Department, acting as a liaison between authorities in Washington, D.C., and Texas. He even questioned Jack Ruby after Ruby shot and killed Oswald.

Sorrels retired from the Secret Service in 1969 after nearly a half-century of work for the agency.^[10]