This item doesn’t have any media yet
1989 | Crime | History & Politics | Law
The crime itself was indefensible. The brilliant, spoiled and bored sons of two of Chicago's wealthiest families planned to commit the perfect crime both for the thrill of and to prove their perverse misunderstanding of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of the 'superman,' who was above all law so long as he made no mistake. Their plan, worked out over several months, was to kidnap and immediately kill one of their younger neighbors and hide his body. They would then demand and collect a ransom. The body would never be discovered, the crime would never be solved and only they would know that they had prevailed over ordinary human beings and their simple-minded legal system. But far from being the 'perfect crime,' the murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks turned out to be amateurishly botched. Before any ransom could be paid, the boy's body was discovered in a culvert near where Nathan Leopold often went bird-watching. A pair of telltale glasses were found adjacent to the body. They were easily traced to Leopold who first came up with a paper-thin alibi and soon thereafter confessed to the crime. His fellow murderer likewise confessed. Each of the 'superboys' placed blame for the actual killing on the other.
Maureen McKernan
(Author)
| Published by | The Notable Trials Library |
Main Image Courtesy: Good Reads.
Images And Data Courtesy Of: The Notable Trials Library.
This content (including text, images, videos and other media) is published and used in accordance
with Fair Use.
| 9-10 |  |
|
0.0% (0) |
| 7-8 |  |
|
100.0% (1) |
| 5-6 |  |
|
0.0% (0) |
| 3-4 |  |
|
0.0% (0) |
| 1-2 |  |
|
0.0% (0) |