Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, gained national attention when he shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, on November 24, 1963. The shooting occurred in the basement of the Dallas police headquarters as Oswald was being transferred to a more secure facility. Ruby's act was captured by live television cameras, sending shockwaves across the nation and sparking debates about the nature of violence and justice in America.

Following his arrest, Ruby claimed that he was distraught over the assassination of Kennedy and acted impulsively to spare the public from a trial that would have brought further trauma. His trial commenced on March 9, 1964, lasting only a few days, with the prosecution focused on demonstrating Ruby's intent to murder Oswald. The defense argued that Ruby was not in a sound state of mind due to emotional distress.

Ultimately, Ruby was convicted of murder with malice aforethought and sentenced to death. The conviction was a pivotal moment in the legal and political discourse surrounding the Kennedy assassination, contributing to theories about conspiracy and raising questions about justice in highly publicized cases. Ruby's appeal for a new trial was later granted due to intense media coverage, but he died of cancer in 1967 before a new trial could take place.