[Letter from M. M. Belli to Judge Brown, November 27, 1964]

One of 39 items in the series: Jack Ruby Trial Transcripts at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza available on this site.
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Description

Photocopy of a letter from Melvin Belli (former attorney for Jack Ruby) to judge Joe Brown (who presided over Ruby's murder trial) warning the judge that Ruby needs psychiatric attention and asking Brown to consider using the court's authority to require an examination since Ruby's current defense attorneys will not do so. Belli also mentions that he has been given permission to file an amicus curiae brief for Ruby's appeal.

Physical Description

2 p. ; 28 cm.

Creation Information

Belli, Melvin M., 1907-1996 November 27, 1964.

Context

This letter is part of the collection entitled: Rescuing Texas History, 2016 and was provided by the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 488 times, with 9 in the last month. More information about this letter can be viewed below.

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The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza first opened its doors in 1989 on the sixth and seventh floors of the building formerly known as the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, the site of the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

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Description

Photocopy of a letter from Melvin Belli (former attorney for Jack Ruby) to judge Joe Brown (who presided over Ruby's murder trial) warning the judge that Ruby needs psychiatric attention and asking Brown to consider using the court's authority to require an examination since Ruby's current defense attorneys will not do so. Belli also mentions that he has been given permission to file an amicus curiae brief for Ruby's appeal.

Physical Description

2 p. ; 28 cm.

Notes

Date of letter is circled on the first page.

Additional description and context: Photocopy of a two-page letter to Judge Joe B. Brown from Melvin Belli in San Francisco, California, dated November 27, 1964.

In this letter, Belli addressed the fragile mental state of Jack Ruby, referring to Ruby's condition as "psychotic" and in "need [of] medical attention badly." Belli attempted to appeal to Judge Brown's decency and Christianity in order to get Ruby the psychiatric and medical treatment that he needed so that the convicted murderer does not commit suicide while in custody. At one point Belli writes, "...I do know that if this boy [Ruby] isn't given some medical psychiatric attention directly we're not going to have this tragic figure alive by the time his case gets through the Appellate Courts and neither you nor I want this to happen."

This letter was originally stapled inside the front cover of a soft-bound copy of an Amicus Curiae brief for Jack Ruby by Melvin Belli filed in the Criminal Court of Appeals in the State of Texas in the matter of Ruby's appeal, Jack Ruby vs. The State of Texas.

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza also publishes this record online: https://emuseum.jfk.org/objects/66813

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Rescuing Texas History, 2016

This compilation of newspapers, photographs, and other materials gives a glimpse into the diverse people and fascinating places that have contributed to the growth of Texas over the past two centuries.

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Related Items

[Cause Number 39,613]. Amicus Curiae Brief for Jack Ruby (Legal Document)

[Cause Number 39,613]. Amicus Curiae Brief for Jack Ruby

Legal brief compiled for Jack Ruby in preparation for hearings in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. It includes excerpts of transcripts and exhibits from Ruby's previous trial, with legal analysis, and citations for previous cases and Texas laws. Indexes to topical analysis, case authorities, statutes, and other authorities is at the start of the document.

Relationship to this item: (References)

[Cause Number 39,613]. Amicus Curiae Brief for Jack Ruby, ark:/67531/metapth1117911

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  • November 27, 1964

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Added to The Portal to Texas History

  • Feb. 10, 2019, 8:45 p.m.

Description Last Updated

  • May 14, 2020, 2:33 a.m.

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Total Uses: 488
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Thumbnail image of item number 1 in: '[Letter from M. M. Belli to Judge Brown, November 27, 1964]'.
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Thumbnail image of item number 4 in: '[Letter from M. M. Belli to Judge Brown, November 27, 1964]'.

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Belli, Melvin M., 1907-1996. [Letter from M. M. Belli to Judge Brown, November 27, 1964], letter, November 27, 1964; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1117900/: accessed June 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

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