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The Perfect Crime | American Experience

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb
Courtesy
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PBS
Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb

Tue. Apr. 10 at 9pm on WKAR-HD 23.1 | Re-examine the shocking story of Leopold and Loeb, who murdered a 14-year-old boy in 1924.

Re-examine the shocking story of Leopold and Loeb, two wealthy college students who murdered a 14-year-old boy in 1924 to prove they were smart enough to get away with it. Their trial set off a national debate about morality and capital punishment.

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb admitted they planned to abduct and kill a child at random simply for the thrill of it. Legendary defense attorney Clarence Darrow summoned experts to show that the murderers had been shaped by childhood trauma and that it was society and its barbaric death penalty that deserved to be put on trial.

Set in 1920s Chicago — a city of gin joints, gangsters, and political corruption — The Perfect Crime tells a story that set off a national debate about morality, individual responsibility, and capital punishment.

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