He’s the man who says he pulled the trigger from the grassy knoll. For decades, the name James Files has been a lightning rod for conspiracy theorists, skeptics, and historians alike. If you’ve spent any time down the rabbit hole of the Kennedy assassination, you know his story. It’s a wild tale involving the Mafia, CIA connections, and a single Remington Fireball pistol. But as we move deeper into the 2020s, the conversation has shifted from "Did he do it?" to a much simpler question: is James Files still alive?
People want to know if the man behind one of the most controversial confessions in American history is still around to defend his story.
The short answer is yes. James Files is still alive. He’s currently in his 80s. After spending decades behind bars for the attempted murder of a police officer—a crime unrelated to the events in Dallas—he was released on parole in 2016. Since then, he has lived a relatively quiet life, though he hasn't exactly gone into hiding. He still gives interviews occasionally, appearing on specialized podcasts and independent documentaries to reiterate the same story he’s been telling since the early 90s. He hasn't wavered. Not once.
The Release of James Sutton Files
James Files was born James Sutton. He took the name Files later. Most people know him by the confession he gave to private investigator Joe West and later to producer Wim Dankbaar. But while the world was debating the ballistics of a "mercury-loaded" bullet, Files was sitting in an Illinois prison. He wasn't there for JFK. He was there because of a 1991 shootout with roadside police.
He served roughly 25 years of a 50-year sentence. When he walked out of the Stateville Correctional Center in May 2016, it didn't make national headlines on the nightly news, but it sent shockwaves through the JFK research community.
He's old now.
Age has a way of softening the edges of even the most hardened figures. In recent footage, you don't see the menacing figure described in 1960s mob lore. You see an elderly man who speaks with a steady, rasping voice. He seems tired. Yet, the clarity of his memory—or at least the consistency of his narrative—remains startlingly sharp. Whether that's because he’s telling the truth or because he’s lived with a lie for thirty years is the million-dollar question.
Why the James Files Story Refuses to Die
Most JFK "confessions" are easy to debunk. They’re usually deathbed ramblings or transparent attempts to get a book deal. Files is different. Why? Because he provided specific details that matched (or seemed to match) forensic evidence that wasn't widely known at the time.
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He talked about biting down on a shell casing and leaving it on the ledge of the picket fence. Interestingly, a casing was actually found in that general area years later. Skeptics say it was planted or that Files heard about the discovery and built his story around it. Believers say it’s the smoking gun.
Then there’s the "mercury-loaded" bullet. Files claimed he used a specialized round designed to explode on impact. This, he says, explains the massive head wound that seemed inconsistent with a standard 6.5mm Carcano round fired by Lee Harvey Oswald. It’s a technical detail that adds a layer of "insider" credibility to his account.
Honestly, the guy is convincing. He doesn't act like a kook. He doesn't beg for attention. In fact, for a long time, he didn't want to talk at all. He only started speaking because he felt he had nothing left to lose.
The Mafia and CIA Connection
Files claims he was working under the orders of Charles "Chuckie" Nicoletti, a notorious hitman for the Chicago Outfit. He also names Johnny Roselli. Both men are real-life mobsters who were murdered in the mid-70s, right around the time the Church Committee and the HSCA (House Select Committee on Assassinations) were digging into the CIA-Mafia plots to kill Fidel Castro.
The timing is convenient. Files links himself to people who can't talk back. But researchers like Jim Marrs, who authored Crossfire, and Wim Dankbaar have spent years vetting these claims. They found that Files’ military records and his known associations with underworld figures at least put him in the right circles. He wasn't some random guy off the street. He was a driver. A bodyguard. A "mechanic."
But let's be real. The FBI officially dismissed his story. They claim he was nowhere near Dallas on November 22, 1963. They point to records suggesting he was in Chicago or elsewhere. Files, of course, claims those records are part of a cover-up. It's a classic stalemate.
Where is He Living Now?
Since his 2016 release, Files has maintained a low profile in terms of mainstream media, but he’s been active in the subculture of assassination research. He’s been reported to be living in the Midwest, staying close to family. He doesn't have a verified Twitter account. He's not on TikTok.
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He lives the life of a pensioner.
However, he hasn't stopped talking to those who seek him out. In 2024 and 2025, several long-form interviews surfaced on YouTube and alternative media platforms. In these, he looks his age. He wears hats and sunglasses. He looks like any other grandfather you'd see at a diner, which makes the content of his speech—discussing the logistics of an executive transition via high-powered rifle—all the more jarring.
The Problems With the Files Confession
If we're being intellectually honest, there are massive holes in the "Grassy Knoll Shooter" theory.
First, the physics. Many ballistics experts argue that the head wound described by Files doesn't align with the trajectory of a shot from the picket fence, though this is hotly contested by those who believe in a front-right entry point.
Second, the "shell casing" evidence is shaky. The casing found by a researcher in 1987 had a "dent" that Files claimed was from his teeth. Forensic analysis of that casing has been inconclusive at best, and many argue it’s a standard manufacturing mark or a result of being stepped on in the dirt for two decades.
Third, the sheer number of people Files implicates. According to him, the operation was a massive collaboration. History suggests that the more people involved in a conspiracy, the faster it leaks. Files didn't "leak" it until the 90s.
Yet, the man is still here. He is a living artifact of a period in American history that we simply cannot move past. As long as James Files is still alive, people will keep trekking to his door or his inbox, hoping for one last piece of the puzzle that makes everything click.
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Recent Sightings and Health
Reports from researchers who have visited him within the last year suggest that while he is aging, his mind is still there. He doesn't show obvious signs of dementia or memory loss. He speaks about 1963 with the same cadence he used in 1994.
There was a rumor circulating in 2023 that he had passed away in a nursing home. That turned out to be false. It was a case of internet "death hoaxing" that often hits figures associated with conspiracy theories. He’s very much alive, though he's certainly in the twilight of his life.
What This Means for the JFK Mystery
The fact that Files is still alive is significant because he represents the "last man standing" of the major confession figures. Most of the other players—Howard Hunt, Frank Sturgis, Chauncey Holt—have all passed away. Files is the final link to a specific narrative of the assassination.
When he dies, a huge part of the "Grassy Knoll" lore dies with him.
But what can we actually take away from his continued presence?
- Consistency isn't proof. Just because a person tells the same story for 30 years doesn't make it true. It just means they've mastered the narrative.
- The lack of a deathbed confession. Usually, when people are lying, they come clean when the end is near. Files hasn't. He’s sticking to his guns.
- The document trail. Despite his release and the declassification of thousands of JFK files in recent years, no document has surfaced that explicitly names "James Files" as a CIA or Mafia asset tasked with the assassination.
Final Insights and Next Steps
If you’re looking for the definitive answer on James Files, you won't find it in a government report. You'll find it in the tension between his calm delivery and the lack of hard physical evidence. He remains one of the most polarizing figures in true crime history.
If you want to dig deeper into whether his story holds water, you should look into the following:
- Analyze the 1994 "Confession" Video: Watch the original interview conducted by Joe West. Pay attention to his body language. It's widely available on archival sites.
- Read "Files on Files": This is a collection of his letters and interviews. It provides a more granular look at his claims than a 10-minute YouTube clip ever could.
- Cross-reference with the ARRB: Look at the Records Collection Act releases from the late 90s. See how the official investigators handled the "Files" lead when it first emerged. They did look into it, and their conclusions (or lack thereof) are telling.
- Check the Ballistics: Research the "Remington XP-100 Fireball." It’s the weapon Files claims he used. Look at its muzzle velocity and the type of damage it does. Compare that to the Zapruder film.
James Files is a man living on borrowed time, carrying a story that changed the world—or at least, a story that changed how we look at the world. Whether he’s the ultimate hitman or the ultimate storyteller, he’s still here, and he’s still talking. For now.
To truly understand the weight of his claims, you have to look past the "is he alive" question and start asking "why does he keep saying it?" There is no more money to be made. There is no more fame to be had. There is only the story. And as of today, James Files is still here to tell it.