Belle Mulhern, Staff Writer
Forensics 1 and 2 classes at Penn-Trafford High School listened to the world-renowned, Pittsburgh-based forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht speak about his career in the forensics field on April 30, specifically focusing in on his role and opinion on the John F. Kennedy assassination.
When discussing the credibility of Wecht’s work with a class leading up to the presentation, forensics teacher James Rocco laughed and said, “Are you serious?”
Rocco explained that Wecht is 88 years old and has performed over 17,000 forensic autopsies along with aiding in the consultation of over 30,000 court cases in his field. Though most well-known for his critical analysis of the John F. Kennedy assassination, Wecht has also worked with other acclaimed cases such as that of JonBenét Ramsey, O.J. Simpson and Elvis Presley.
Forensics I student Sydney Spears remarked, “From a young age, I’ve been really interested in forensic science and he’s definitely been an idol of mine. It’s an incredible experience being able to see him and speak to him about what an interesting role he’s been able to play in history.”
Although the forensics students were taught about multiple different conclusions to the JFK assassination, Rocco mentioned that Wecht’s standpoint differs from his own. While Rocco believes in the widely-debated “single bullet theory,” Wecht counters this belief and strongly stands by the idea that Lee Harvey Oswald was not alone in his actions.
The debate remains heavily active; a poll of P-T students and staff fluctuated constantly throughout a 24-hour time period, coming as close as 50/50 at some times when asked if Oswald acted alone or if there may have been another shooter involved. A handful of responses mentioned the possibility of the CIA and mafia being involved in the assassination.
Before his major involvement in forensics, Wecht served as Deputy Coroner of Allegheny County, later becoming the Coroner and eventually the Commissioner, both relating to investigative properties of deaths within the corresponding county. He was highly engaged in the political community of Pittsburgh alongside the medical field, provoking his interest in forensic science.
Rocco continued, “He’s the greatest of all time. This is the equivalent of having Michael Jordan come in to speak about basketball.”
Senior and two-year forensics student Zoe Vitelli introduced Wecht to the P-T stage. He began his presentation with extensive background on the political and social climate of the 1960s, then furthered into John F. Kennedy as a president. The majority of Wecht’s information revolved around the validity of the, as he referred to it, “magic” bullet theory.
Junior Madison Cvercko said, “I thought he was really detail-oriented and it showed how intelligent he really is. He was so smart but still had a laid-back and even humorous way of discussing things. He was definitely able to get his point across.”
After presenting the official disclosure of John F. Kennedy’s assassination and autopsy as submitted by the Warren Commission, Wecht stated, “[The Warren Commission Report] should be in every school library, but it must be cataloged correctly. It must be placed next to those of its genre: ‘Huckleberry Finn,’ ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ and ‘Moby Dick.’”
Aside from his interpretation of the assassination, Wecht also offered bits of information regarding other cases he has been involved in as well as details about getting a job in a forensics-related field.
Wecht thanked both his audience and Rocco for their help in making his presentation a possibility, giving his best wishes, academically and personally, to the students in their future endeavors.