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In 1924, the world was shocked by a heinous crime committed by two college students – Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. The two brilliant men had committed a murder of a 14-year-old boy called Bobby Franks in an attempt to prove that they could get away with the perfect crime.
Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were wealthy and highly intelligent. Leopold was studying for his PhD at the University of Chicago while Loeb was studying at the University of Michigan Law School. Despite their academic brilliance, they decided to commit murder as an act of intellectual superiority.
The details of the crime are chilling: they bludgeoned Bobby Franks to death with a chisel before dumping his body into a culvert, weighted down by bricks and cement blocks. Afterwards, they attempted to cover their tracks through various actions such as burning their clothing and destroying evidence. However, new technologies such as spectrographic analysis provided valuable evidence which eventually led to the conviction of both men.
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This case has become one of the most infamous examples of depravity in history, inspiring various works including books, plays and films over generations. Notably, it inspired ‘The Crime Of The Century’, an acclaimed 2019 documentary which traces the events leading up to and after this awful incident. Through interviews with relatives of both victims and convicts as well as newly discovered documents from archives around the world, this documentary dives deep into understanding why these two seemingly normal young men committed such an unspeakable crime on a defenseless child.
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If you’re interested in understanding more about this haunting story or would like to get further insight into human depravity and intellectual arrogance, then ‘The Crime Of The Century’ is an essential watch for you. It’s sure to leave you mesmerized but also make you think twice about what darkness lies within us all if given the right opportunity or motivation.
