This Happened—January 2: The Trial Of The Century
Billed as “the trial of the century,” the case begins against Richard “Bruno” Hauptmann, accused of kidnapping and killing the 20-month-old son of renown aviator Charles Lindbergh.
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Who was Richard “Bruno” Hauptmann?
Bruno Hauptmann was a German immigrant who was accused of breaking into famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, house in March 1932 to kidnap his young child, Charles Jr.. The kidnapper left a ransom note.
What happened to Charles Lindbergh’s child?
Despite numerous back and forth attempts to exchange the child for ransom money, the corpse of Charles Lindbergh Jr. was discovered months later by the side of a road.
What was the Bruno Hauptmann trial’s verdict?
The trial created a furor because of Lindbergh’s celebrity and the grizzly nature of the crime. Legal scholars called it “the trial of the century”. Bruno Hauptmann never confessed, but was found guilty on Feb. 13, 1935. He was executed in the electric chair the following year. Some investigators have since questioned the independence of the trial.
