This is a fairly run of the mill documentary about a notorious murder and its aftermath, notorious for two reasons in particular: the perpetrators were highly intelligent, rich kids born into privilege; and they – Leopold especially – developed the idea that because they were so intelligent and so "superior", laws and morality ought not to apply to them. Outside of the political arena, many others have endorsed this idea too, most notably Oscar Wilde and Aleister Crowley; both achieved notoriety and died in poverty.
If Leopold and Loeb had followed the Confuscian concept of the superior man they might indeed have achieved greatness, but the version they pursued proved they were not so superior after all.
In May 1924 they kidnapped and murdered their young victim, whose body was found in short order, as were Leopold's glasses at the crime scene. They were quickly arrested and brought to trial for capital murder. It would be difficult to imagine two more unappealing defendants, but by foregoing a jury trial, Clarence Darrow was able to save them from the electric chair.
Was this really both the crime of the century and America's first thrill kill? Armand Deutsch was their original intended victim; he appeared in this documentary wherein he said that according to his definition there were three crimes of the 20th Century; the other two were the Lindberg baby case and the O.J. Simpson trial. If only American trials are considered, this selection has more than a little merit. Others have killed for the thrill of it before, and are still doing so.
The programme includes archive footage and a report on the trial, from which women were excluded, at least in part, apparently on account of the tangential mention of the homosexual relationship between the two men. How times have changed.
If Leopold and Loeb had followed the Confuscian concept of the superior man they might indeed have achieved greatness, but the version they pursued proved they were not so superior after all.
In May 1924 they kidnapped and murdered their young victim, whose body was found in short order, as were Leopold's glasses at the crime scene. They were quickly arrested and brought to trial for capital murder. It would be difficult to imagine two more unappealing defendants, but by foregoing a jury trial, Clarence Darrow was able to save them from the electric chair.
Was this really both the crime of the century and America's first thrill kill? Armand Deutsch was their original intended victim; he appeared in this documentary wherein he said that according to his definition there were three crimes of the 20th Century; the other two were the Lindberg baby case and the O.J. Simpson trial. If only American trials are considered, this selection has more than a little merit. Others have killed for the thrill of it before, and are still doing so.
The programme includes archive footage and a report on the trial, from which women were excluded, at least in part, apparently on account of the tangential mention of the homosexual relationship between the two men. How times have changed.