Let me stand before God to be judged. Let no mortal man judge me.

Born as James Sutton, he changed his name to James Files in 1963. When interviewed he as serving time for shooting a police officer. He was first approached by investigator Joe West about telling his story, and at first did not want to discuss it. Over time, he began to come around and by the time he decided to speak out, West has passed away and Zack Shelton had followed up. Shelton meticulously checked out his story found there was some credibility to it. Files story dovetails nicely with that of Chauncey Holt who was also in Dallas working with Charles Nicoletti.  He can be seen in silhouette in some pictures by the picket fence. 

Files got his start in the world of organized crime on the streets of Chicago and always regarded Charles Nicoletti as somewhat of a mentor. About six months before the assassination, Nicoletti approached him about being part of the team to kill the President. Files felt honored to be part of the team.

The week before the big day, Files arrived at the Lamplighter Inn in Mesquite, TX – a suburb of Dallas. Once there, he called Nicoletti and David Atlee Phillips. The next day a new guy showed up who Files had never met before. It was Lee Oswald. Oswald's job was to show Files around town since he was originally slated to be a driver. It was Oswald who to the picture of Files after he came out of the shower at the hotel.

At about 7:00 AM he picked up Johnny Roselli at the Cabana Hotel and took him to a coffee shop where he met with a short, stocky man he did not recognize. Files watched the room while the pair talked. Before they left the short man gave Roselli an envelope with fake badges and Ids. He later recognized the man a Jack Ruby.

He took Roselli back to the hotel and picked up Nicoletti for the drive back to Dealey Plaza. He jumped at the chance to be a backup shooter. He chose a Remington Fireball XP-100 and took his position behind the fence at the grassy knoll while Nicoletti headed over to the Dal-Tex Building. Others he didn't know were using the fake Secret Service Ids to keep people back from the area.

As the cars came down Elm St the shooting began. Files could see Kennedy was hit but he did not know how badly. He took his shot and hit the President in the right temple area, snapping his head back. He secured his weapon in his brief case and headed back to the car where Nicoletti and Roselli were already waiting. He got in and they easily drove away. This is what Lee Bowers saw and it cost him his life.

In 1987 a researcher with a metal detector found the shell casing.

Files earned $30,000 for ending the life of the President.

When the House Select Committee on Assassinations convened and began dealing out subpoenas as they looked for answers, Sam Giancana, Johnny Roselli and Charles Nicoletti all met violent ends before the could testify. James Files was found beaten and bloody on the street, but survived.

Files is relatively safe with his confessions as all the mob figures are dead and the government, by taking action against him would be admitting that the disaffected lone gunman story was a lie. At the latest report is that he turned his life around and is living in the Chicago area where he and his wife are attending a spirit filled church.

Some have said his story does not align with the facts of the case.  However he tells a pretty convincing story about working with the CIA through David Atlee Phillips as his handler.  Through Phillips he worked along side Lee Oswald in training and arming Cubans.  On the day of the assassination he traveled around with Johnny Roselli and Charles Nicoletti.

Primary Target: JFK - How the CIA Used the Chicago Mob to Kill the President: Author of to Kill a County and Interview with History: the JFK Assassination
by Pamela J Ray, James E Files

Finally free from prison, Grassy Knoll Shooter CIA/Mob assassin James E. Files reveals more chilling details surrounding the events that led up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Readers who are new to the story, as well as seasoned skeptics of the Warren Commission, can follow along as Files recounts the details from the original plot to kill JFK in Chicago to the dark deed done in Dallas November 22, 1963. On that day, the United States of America experienced a coup d'état where the 35th president was taken down in a military-style ambush by the Central Intelligence Agency using Organized Crime hit men as their assassins. Only a few people are still alive who were there that day and this is the story from the man who fired the fatal headshot from the infamous grassy knoll. While James Files was incarcerated for the last 25 years, author Pamela Ray published two books he asked her to write; TO KILL A COUNTRY and Interview with History: The JFK Assassination. On the website for the book Interview with History, a Question and Answer blog was created in 2013 for the public to ask James Files questions. Included in this book is the Q & A section that Files and Ray hope will satisfy readers regarding commonly asked questions and forever put to rest some of the basic facts surrounding his truly incredible and amazing story. Final Update: James Files is now a Christian and was baptized in Lake Michigan on June 14, 2018. James Files and Pamela Ray were married in May 2018 and live in Chicago. They've been attending a Spirit-filled Christian church together since November 2017. "Let me stand before God to be judged. Let no mortal man judge me." - Jimmy Sutton/ James Files