10 Controversial Court Cases

Year:1994

Charge:Murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman

Plea:Not guilty

Verdict:Not guilty

The murder case of former Heisman Trophy winner and star NFL fullbackO.J. Simpsoncaptivated U.S. audiences for months. It began with thetelevisedpolice chase of Simpson in a white Ford Bronco through Los Angeles roads on June 17, 1994.

Simpson marriedNicole Brownin 1985, but the couple split in 1992. On June 11, 1994, Simpson and Brown attended their daughter's play in Los Angeles and then parted ways. Brown went to dinner with friends, and Simpson left to pack for a flight to Chicago scheduled later that night. The next morning, neighbors found Nicole Brown and her friendRon Goldmanmurdered outside of Brown's Los Angeles condo.

Evidence seemed to point in Simpson's direction. For instance, thelimodriver who picked Simpson up to take him to theairportthe night of the murder testified that when he arrived at the house and rang the doorbell, no one answered. While waiting, the driver then saw a large black person in dark clothes enter Simpson's house. Minutes later, Simpson answered the door. Blood was also found in some of Simpson's belongings, including his white Ford Bronco and a pair of socks.

The trial began on Jan. 24, 1995, after Simpson pled not guilty to the two murders. His defense team was led byJohnnie Cochran, who turned the focus of the trial proceedings to alleged racism of the lead police detective in the case. Since the jury was majority-black, some felt that Cochran manipulated the race issue as a ploy to gain their sympathies. After more than four months of court proceedings, the jury acquitted Simpson of both counts of murder.

In light of the evidence, many questioned the jury's decision. And, in the wrongful death civil suit brought by the Brown and Goldman families soon after, Simpson was found liable.

Year:1893

Charge:Murders of her father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby Borden

Plea:Not guilty

Verdict:Not guilty

TheLizzie Bordencase has been preserved in the public's memory through the popular rhyme:

The murder ofAndrew and Abby Bordenhappened on Aug. 4, 1892, in Fall River, Mass. Lizzie Borden, 33 years old at the time, was arrested for the murder based on these facts: She was home alone at the time of the murders and there were no signs of a struggle.

After the trial began, the prosecution presented the infamous head of an axe that was thought to be the murder weapon. A friend of Borden's also testified to seeing herburna dress after the crime. Borden claimed she burned the dress because it was covered in paint.

Nevertheless, the prosecution couldn’t conclusively prove that she -- and no one else -- had killed the parents. And despite rumors circulating that Borden had a bad relationship with her stepmother, witnesses in the trial testified otherwise.

After the case concluded and Borden was found not guilty, another suspect was never found.

Year:1954

Charge:Murder of Marilyn Sheppard

Plea:Not guilty

Verdict:Guilty, but later acquitted

Rumored to be the basis of thetelevisionshow "The Fugitive,"Sam Sheppard's trial for the murder of his pregnant wife revolved around an unknown murder weapon and questions about a possible intruder.玛丽莲·谢泼德was murdered in her second-floor bedroom early on the morning of July 4, 1954. Sam had reportedly fallen asleep on a daybed on the first floor and was awakened by his wife's scream.

But a shadow of doubt was soon cast over Sam when his account of events seemed somewhat unlikely. He claimed that someone had broken into the house, gone upstairs and attacked Marilyn. He said that he ran upstairs and tried to fight off the "bushy-haired intruder" but was knocked unconscious from behind. After waking up, he ran after the person and tried unsuccessfully to overtake him.

没有强迫ent的迹象ry, and opened drawers and his overturned medical bag seemed too tidy for a random break-in. Also, Sheppard's testimony was given rather stiffly and formally. Evidence of extramarital affairs capped off the prosecution's case.

The jury found Sheppard guilty of second-degree murder with lifeimprisonment．但由于多少媒体的关注attracted, Sheppard was eventually retried in 1966, where he was acquitted. Interestingly, a civil suit for wrongful imprisonment filed by Sheppard's son and tried in 2000 found Sheppard liable.

Year:1925

Charge:Illegal teaching of evolution

Plea:Not guilty

Verdict:Guilty

The outcome of theScopes Monkey Trialresonates in U.S. education even today. In 1925, in Dayton, Tenn., high school teacherJohn Scopeswent to court for teaching the theory of evolution to his students. The state's constitution banned the subject in schools. But Scopes served as more of a pawn; the true purpose of the case was to formally debate theevolutionban in court and to address the controversy surrounding it.

The prosecution team was led byWilliam Jennings Bryan, a former presidential candidate and staunch opponent of evolution. On Scopes' side,Clarence Darrowaimed to prove that the state ban was unconstitutional. Bryan and Darrow attracted crowds of thousands during the hearings. The testimonies and their statements weighed the validity of Darwin's theory versus that of the Bible.

Ultimately, Darrow, on behalf of the defense, requested that the jury find Scopes guilty so that the case could continue to the state Supreme Court, where the constitutional ban could be possibly overturned. The jury did so, and the Tennessee Supreme Court eventually dismissed the case.

Year:1982

Charge:Attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan

Plea:Insanity

Verdict:Not guilty by reason of insanity

On March 30, 1981,John Hinckley Jr.opened fire onPresident Ronald Reaganoutside of the Park Central Hotel in Washington, D.C. One bullet barely missed the president'sheart．Hinckley was wrestled to the ground by Secret Service agents.

But Hinckley wasn't a political vigilante. Rather, he was trying to win the heart of actressJodie Foster, with whom he'd become obsessed after seeing the 1976 film "Taxi Driver."

After moving to New Haven, Conn., where Foster attended Yale University, leaving multiple letters and speaking with her twice to no avail, Hinckley grew more desperate. Hours before the assassination attempt, he wrote her a note detailing his plot to kill President Reagan to prove himself to her.

Hinckley's defense team set out to prove his insanity, bringing in Hinckley's psychiatrist and other mental health experts to confirm schizophrenia. The prosecution, however, brought in their own experts, testifying that he was sane enough to plan and carry out the detailed plot.

The jury's verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity enraged many Americans. An often cited ABC News poll taken the day after the verdict was announced revealed that three-quarters of people interviewed disagreed with the jury's decision [source: Finckel]. Hinckley was then transferred to St. Elizabeth's Hospital and in 2003 was allowed to have unsupervised visits with his family.

Year:1933

Charge:Murder of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr.

Plea:Not Guilty

Verdict:Guilty

When the infant son of famed aviatorCharles Lindberghwas kidnapped from his crib around 9 p.m. on March 3, 1932, people across the nation took notice. A ransom note for $50,000 was left in baby Charles' nursery, and a broken ladder was found outside of the window.

Because of the extensive media attention, Lindbergh allowed a mediator,Dr. John Condon, to negotiate with the kidnapper. After a series of five notes, Condon met with the kidnapper and gave him $50,000 for information. Condon was told that the baby could be found on a boat off the New York harbor. But an extensive search revealed neither the boat nor baby Charles.

Then, on May 12, the baby's body was accidentally discovered in woods near the Lindbergh home. As the search for the kidnapper continued, it focused on tracking any ransommoneythat had been spent. Investigators traced it toBruno Richard Hauptmann, who was arrested after authorities found thousands more at his house.

A jury found Hauptmann guilty on Feb. 13, 1933. In spite of offers to commute his sentence and monetary help for his wife and son, Hauptmann never confessed and waselectrocutedon April 3, 1936.

Year:1913

Charge:Murder of Mary Phagan

Plea:Not guilty

Verdict:Guilty

Set against the southern backdrop of Marietta, Ga.,Leo Frank, a Jewish man, was accused of murderingMary Phagan, a young white woman who worked with him in a pencil factory. The prosecution's arguments hinged on the testimony of a black janitor at the factory namedJames Conley．Conley said that Frank had killed Phagan and told Conley to dispose of the body. He also said that Frank had planted notes by the body blaming a black person for the crime.

Crowds inside of the courtrooms continually hurled Jewish insults during the proceedings, underlining the hatred that resonated during that era. The white supremacist group the Klu Klux Klan even formed theKnights of Mary Phaganin response.

Despite forensic evidence pointing to Frank's innocence, he was nonetheless convicted todeath by hanging．As a result of the shaky evidence, the governor of Georgia commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. Subsequently, an angry mob kidnapped Frank from jail with little resistance and killed him by lynching.

In 1986, the Georgia State Board of Paroles pardoned Frank.

Year:1949

Charge:Perjury

Plea:Not guilty

Conviction:Guilty

TheAlger Hissperjury case launched the career of then-congressmanRichard Nixon, the head of theHouse Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)that investigated potentialCommunistinfiltration in the government.

Hiss worked for the State Department and was accused by former CommunistWhitaker Chambersof being a Soviet agent. On Aug. 5, 1948, Hiss adamantly denied the charge before HUAC.

After Hiss filed a slander suit against Chambers, Chambers produced a packet of typewritten and handwritten notes allegedly from Hiss, and later, strips of 35-mm film of State documents allegedly taken by Hiss. These were famously referred to as the "pumpkin papers" because Chambers had kept them in a hollowed-out pumpkin. As a result, Hiss was charged with perjury, or lying to the court while under oath.

Hiss later admitted to writing the handwritten notes, but the source of the film and the typewritten letters remained contentious. After one jury could not come to a verdict agreement, a second case was mounted that eventually found Hiss guilty and sentenced him to five years inprison．Hiss maintained his innocence until his death.

Year: 1931

Charge: Assault and rape

Plea: Not guilty

Verdict: Guilty

TheScottsboro Boys Trialrepresents one of American history's darkest chapters. Nine young black men ranging in ages from 13 to 20 years old were arrested on March 25, 1931, for assault charges resulting from a fight that broke out on a freight train in Paint Rock, Ala. Two white women on the train --Victoria PriceandRuby Bates(who later confessed that she lied) -- also claimed rape by the group of men.

Once the boys were taken into police custody in Scottsboro, Ala., the white community rioted outside of the jail, calling for punishment. Within five days, on March 30, the boys were indicted by a grand jury. By April 9, all but the youngest of the group had been sentenced to death by all-white juries.

The case moved to the Alabama Supreme Court in 1932, which upheld the previous convictions. Then, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case, ruling that the defendants' rights had not been upheld, which sent the case back for retrial.

After three trials and six years inprison, the charges were dropped for four of the boys: Willie Roberson, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams and Roy Wright. The other five -- Charles Weems, Ozie Powell, Clarence Norris, Andy Wright and Haywood Patterson -- remained in prison and were eventually released on parole years later.

Year:1963

People involved:Lee Harvey Oswald andJack Ruby

Charges:Assassination of JFK (Oswald); murder of Oswald (Ruby)

Verdict:内疚,后来被推翻(Ruby)

Most agree that the trials and investigations surrounding the assassination ofPresident John F. Kennedyin Dallas, Texas, are the most controversial in American history. The president was shot three times on Nov. 22, 1963.

Lee Harvey Oswaldwas arrested for the assassination after investigators discovered a rifle hidden between two boxes with Oswald'sfingerprintson them, along with empty cartridges in the Texas Book Depository. Two days later,Jack Rubyshot and killed Oswald.

On March 14, 1964, Ruby was sentenced to death byelectricchair for Oswald's murder. But the Texas Supreme Court overturned the ruling on the basis that the case's publicity obstructed Ruby's right to a fair hearing. Before he could be tried a second time, Ruby died from cancer in 1967.

Despite the work of the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations tasked with investigating the assassination, no conclusions to the reasons and people behind it have ever been found. It is suspected that Oswald acted as part of aconspiracy, and his relationship with Ruby also remains in question.

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