Revisionist Interpretations of The Evidence
All conspiracy hypotheses about the Chappaquiddick accident reject the interpretation of the events provided by Judge James Boyle. These theories fall into three groups:
1) Kennedy was set up and framed by his political enemies for a crime he did not commit.
2) Kennedy attempted to divert the blame to others.
3) Kennedy conspired to cover up an earlier crime by staging an "accident".
A BBC 'Inside Story' programme, 'Chappaquiddick', broadcast on the 25th anniversary of the death of Mary Jo Kopechne advanced a theory that Kennedy and Kopechne had gone out from the party in Kennedy's car, but that when Kennedy saw an off-duty policeman in his patrol car, he got out of the car, fearing the political consequences of being discovered by the police late at night with an attractive woman. According to the theory, Kennedy then returned to the party while Kopechne, unfamiliar both with the large car and the local area, drove the wrong way and crashed off the bridge. The programme argued this explanation would account for Kennedy's lack of concern the next morning (because he was unaware of the crash) and for forensic evidence of the injuries to Kopechne being inconsistent with her sitting in the passenger seat. A similar theory was advanced by Australian writer Bob Ellis.
Best-selling investigative writer Jack Olsen had earlier advanced a similar theory in his book The Bridge at Chappaquiddick, published early in 1970. Olsen's book was the first full-length examination of the case. Olsen wrote that Kopechne's shorter height (she was 5'2", a foot shorter than Kennedy) could have accounted for her possibly not even seeing the bridge as she drove Kennedy's car over unfamiliar roads, at night, with no external lighting, after having had several alcoholic drinks at the party both had attended. Olsen wrote that Kopechne normally drove a smaller Volkswagen model car, which was much lighter and easier to handle than Kennedy's larger Oldsmobile.
Read more about this topic: Chappaquiddick Incident
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