Lost JFK Grassy Knoll Footage Reignites Second Shooter Theory
More than six decades after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, a long-missing film that may show evidence of a second shooter is drawing renewed attention. The footage—shot by a local repairman and later taken by federal authorities—is now the focus of an ongoing court battle that could revisit one of the most examined moments in U.S. history.
The grainy 8mm film was recorded on November 22, 1963, by Dallas air conditioner repairman Orville Nix. Filming from a position facing the grassy knoll—an area long linked to conspiracy theories—Nix captured a view distinct from the famous Zapruder film. While Zapruder’s footage shows the fatal head shot, Nix’s camera was aimed at the knoll itself, where multiple eyewitnesses claimed shots were fired.
Unlike other known recordings, researchers say the Nix film may be the only footage to directly show that area at the moment of the assassination, raising questions about whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
In 1978, Nix sent the original film to a Los Angeles company for analysis. Court filings state that the FBI later took custody of the footage, which has not been publicly seen since. Nix died in 1972, but his family has spent decades attempting to recover the film.
His son initially filed suit, arguing the government unlawfully seized private property without compensation in violation of the Fifth Amendment. After his death, Nix’s daughter, Linda Gayle Nix Jackson, continued the legal fight, maintaining that the film was never returned to the family.
A federal judge has now allowed the case to proceed, reviving hopes that the footage could either be released or result in compensation.
Legal experts say advances in imaging technology could finally unlock details that were impossible to detect decades ago. Scott Watnik of Wilk Auslander LLP, who represents Nix’s granddaughter, said modern analysis could shed new light on the footage.
“It’s really the only one that is known to have captured the grassy knoll area of Dealey Plaza right as the assassination occurs,” Watnik said.
He added that applying modern optics technology to the original film could reveal information missed during earlier examinations.
Beyond its historical significance, the family estimates the film’s value at more than $900 million. By comparison, the Zapruder film was valued at $16 million when it was acquired by the U.S. government in 1999. Watnik argues that adjusting that figure for decades of compound interest places the Nix footage in the hundreds of millions.
Still, he emphasized that the case is about more than money. “This is evidence of a murder of our nation’s president,” Watnik said. “It’s even more important that we know where these records are.”
