Mysteries in the Archives

1936: The Lindbergh Case (2x5)

Air date: Jul 02, 2011

From 1934 to 1936, the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, a German illegal immigrant accused of the murder of the young son of the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, unleashed passions. On April 3, 1936, 52 people, including several journalists, attended the execution of the German-born Bruno Hauptmann. He had been sentenced to death in the electric chair for the kidnapping and murder of Charles Augustus, the infant son of pilot Charles Lindbergh. The abduction of Lindbergh's child was named a crime of the century, and the press effectively convicted the accused before trial. Hauptmann himself swore his innocence to the end. Following this lawsuit, news cameras were evicted from American courtrooms for years. How did the press make this case the "Trial of the Century" and what impact has it had on the course of justice?