John Costella was born
in Australia. After graduating with honors degrees in both electrical
engineering and the sciences from the University of Melbourne, he
completed a Ph.D. in theoretical physics. After three years of postdoctoral
research and lecturing at the University of Melbourne he was appointed
as a teacher of Mathematics, Physics and Information Technology at
Mentone Grammar.
Costella has researched
the assassination of John
F. Kennedy and
has undertaken a sophisticated analyses of the Zapruder
Film.
Two of his articles, A Scientist's Verdict:
The Film is a Fabrication and Mary
Moorman and Her Polaroids appeared in The
Great Zapruder Film Hoax (edited by James
H. Fetzer).
Open
Debate on the Kennedy Assassination
(1)
John
Costella, A Scientist's Verdict: The Film is a Fabrication,
included in The
Great Zapruder Film Hoax (edited
by James
H. Fetzer).
In the wider context
of the assassination, the most incongruous feature of the extant "Zapruder"
film is arguably the depiction of a single, fatal shot to the President's
head, which appears to blow out the entire right temple area, leaving
a massive "crater".
The obvious inconsistencies
between this imagery and the wounds to the President when he arrived
at Parkland Hospital are enough to convince any serious student of
the assassination that this section of the film is a complete fabrication.
(Author David Lifton seems to be the first person to have made this
observation in print, in his 1980 book Best Evidence.) But
even leaving aside this "medical" evidence of alteration,
the film itself can be examined for physical inconsistencies that
would not occur if it were genuine, but which may have been overlooked
if created as a work of "special effects". The "explosion"
in Frame 313.
The bright red "explosion"
shown in Frame 313 of the extant film appears to be a completely spurious
addition. Recall that this "explosion" is not a ball of
flame (as it would be if it were a special effect for an action movie),
but rather is supposed to represent bloody matter ejected from the
President's head. Now, whereas flame is caused by the emission of
light upon the combustion of some material (which will subside when
the fuel is spent), the red "spray" shown in Frame 313 ostensibly
represents the reflection of light from the bloody matter, which would
persist while this matter remains in the field of view.
(2)
John
Costella, Mary Moorman and Her Polaroids, included in The
Great Zapruder Film Hoax (edited
by James
H. Fetzer).
Jean (Hill) calls
to JFK - looking down into the middle of the seat - as he approaches
them. He turns, and perhaps starts to wave. Mary (Moorman) snaps a
photo and then the first shot hits him. He jumps, and starts to slump
forward. Jackie then responds, and cries out, as Jean and Mary reported.
The limo stops somewhere down past the steps. There are then anywhere
from two to seven further shots, that inflict the remaining wounds
to JFK and Connally Jean sees the hair on the back of JFK's head flap
up as his skull is blasted out. The limo speeds off. Mary is quickly
intercepted and asked for her photos. She and Jean undergo hours of
interrogation, after which they finally turn over the Polaroids. And
the cover-up begins.
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