Above & Beyond - 5 CJ students examine the JFK assignation for Senior Seminar
KENNESAW, Ga.
(Feb 26, 2014) — On October 25-27,2013, five students went far above and beyond the tasks required
in the syllabus for CrJu 4499, Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice. Students took a
trip to Dallas, Texas to work on the John F. Kennedy (JFK) homicide case. Dr. Stan
Crowder assigned the JFK case in his first Senior Seminar course in Fall 2013 and
placed his students into groups of five focused on one of many JFK homicide conspiracies.
Chase Patterson, Virginia Thompson, Tashai Devoe, Jonathan Fernandez, and Shirley
James were assigned together as Team Castro. Their goal was to follow the scientific
method to investigate this crime using case study research methods taught by Dr. Crowder.
Team Castro first started by meeting two days a week and Virginia reserved the rooms
where they discussed updates on their research and decided what direction to take
next.
The Team met in Atlanta, Georgia on October 25, 2013 to get on the MegaBus and traveled
seventeen hours to Dallas, Texas. They arrived to their destination at approximately
6:30am on October 26, 2013. The Team took many photos and discussed the case more
in detail at the crime scene within a five-six hour time limit before departing for
home. Shirley James videotaped the entire trip for her Team members to have as a memory
to last a lifetime. While at the crime scene,in Chase Patterson’s words, “It’s a life
changing experience.” Jonathan Fernandez stated, “The crime scene is actually smaller
and close together than the Zapruder film indicates.” Once Team Castro was on scene,
they finalized their theories by agreeing that more than one person was involved in
the assassination of JFK in the limited time frame they had until getting back on
the MegaBus to go home in Georgia. On October 26, 2013, Team Castro got on the MegaBus
and traveled twenty hours to get home in Georgia.
By: Student Virginia Thompson