John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) and Lewis Thornton Powell (1844-1865): Controversial identifications of two southern conspirators found guilty of Abraham Lincoln′s death

5^th International Conference on Forensic Research & Technology

October 31-November 02, 2016 San Francisco, USA

Xavier Riaud

National Academy of Dental Surgery, France

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Forensic Res

Abstract :

On April 14, 1865, at about 10:10 pm, a man shot Abraham Lincoln in the back of his head at point blank range. His name was John Wilkes Booth. The President of the United States died the following day. Meanwhile, a man broke into William Seward�s office, the Secretary of State and seriously wounded his face. The attacker�s name was Lewis Thornton Powell. Both of these men succeeded in leaving the American capital without any trouble. However, few days later, Booth was arrested in a farm in Virginia and was summarily executed. His body was repatriated and an autopsy was conducted on April 27, 1865. While the report was absolutely positive concerning the murderer�s identification, the journalists remained doubtful. Were we definitely sure it was Booth�s body? As for Powell, he was arrested three days later. He was judged and sentenced to death. But examinations resulting from his trial have shown dental idiosyncrasies which turned to be crucial in the identification of a skull discovered several years later.

Biography :

Email: xavier.riaud@wanadoo.fr