An almost perfect murder and simple accessories that helped solve it (8 photos)

When people's basic needs are satisfied, the twisted minds of some may demand the satisfaction of others - dark and creepy fantasies. And at the same time a demonstration of superiority.





In 1924, Chicago residents were shocked by the murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks. Witnesses saw the teenager get into a green car. No one saw him alive again: the unfortunate man was killed. And at that moment, when the child was already dead, the parents were sent a letter demanding a ransom.

The investigation showed that Franks had no unusual behavior or enemies. But there must be a motive, especially for a planned and such a cruel crime?

Brilliant killers



Bobby Franks

And he was. The idea to commit the perfect murder for the sake of murder came to student Nathan Leopold. The guy had a very high intelligence, studied at college to become a lawyer, and was fond of studying birds. True, Nathan had problems with communication due to some clumsiness and stiffness. But he didn’t need friends, one was enough - Richard Loeb. The young man was also quite smart, although lower in level compared to Nathan. But he was attractive in appearance and easily became the life of the party.

The friends quickly sensed kindred spirits in each other and enthusiastically practiced petty theft, arson and vandalism. And then we decided to try a spicier dish.



Leopold and Loeb

On May 21, the guys rented a car and noticed Bobby, who was Loeb’s distant relative, coming home from school. That’s why the teenager was not afraid to get into the car, attracted by the offer to discuss a new tennis racket.

As soon as the boy sat down, he was hit on the head with a chisel, dragged into the back seat and gagged with a rag. Poor Bobby died of suffocation.

The body was disposed of by being thrown into a drainage pipe near the lake where Leopold spent time birdwatching. The victim's face was previously doused with acid to make identification difficult. After sending a letter to the victim's family, the satisfied couple rejoiced that they had committed the perfect crime.

Errors and miscalculations



Of course, the murder was ideal, although it had been planned for six months, only in the eyes of two arrogant, albeit smart, fools. Placing the corpse in a drainage pipe, the killers thought that it would lie there until it turned into a skeleton. But the legs remained sticking out, so the victim was discovered the next morning.

Plus, the nearsighted Leopold managed to drop his glasses nearby. The accessory was not cheap, had a specific shape (the optometrist wrote out only three such prescriptions for the entire city), and was made to order. Therefore, the owner was quickly identified. The guy said that he lost his glasses while watching birds again. The explanation was generally logical and plausible. And Richard confirmed his friend’s alibi.

Perhaps the investigation would have stalled. But not far from the city pond they found a broken typewriter. On which was printed a ransom note. As well as Nathan Leopold's coursework.

He did not deny it. The second killer also confirmed the confession. The city was buzzing. Lawyers refused to represent the interests of the accused in court.

Trial and finale



True, one still agreed. Clarence Darrow gave in to Uncle Leopold's requests, but asked for a fabulous fee of $1 million. The evidence was obvious, so people hoped for a fair verdict - the death penalty for guys who imagined themselves to be superhumans. And who were only 18 and 19 years old.

Of course, there was no talk of release. The relatives wanted to at least keep the idiots alive. About 80 witnesses were involved during the hearing. During the final speech, which took two hours, the defense attorney relied on the psychological characteristics of the accused and the specifics of their upbringing.



Judge Coverly, after a 12-hour hearing, pronounced a sentence of 99 years in prison. In the correctional facility, the prisoners were separated. But a few years later the ban was lifted: Loeb and Leopold jointly opened a school in prison for other prisoners.

In 1936, Loeb died from wounds inflicted by another criminal who attacked him in the shower with razors.oh and literally slashed the body of a 30-year-old prisoner.



Leopold was paroled after 33 years at the age of 53. Upon release, he moved to Puerto Rico, got married and died in 1971 of a heart attack.



Still from the movie "Swoon"

The story has been the subject of many dramatic works, including Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 film, Violation (1959), Swoon (1992) and Murder by Numbers (2002).