The documentary ‘A Crime to Remember: Hearts of Darkness,’ which can be found on Investigation Discovery, chronicles the horrifying killing of Bobby Franks, who was just 14 years old at the time, in Chicago, Illinois, in May 1924, as well as the extraordinary trial that followed. The case was singled out as one of the “trials of the century” due to the stated motivation of the killers, which was that they were bored and wanted to seek joy by committing the ideal crime. The trial was given the moniker as one of “the trials of the century.” You have arrived at the correct location if you are interested in learning additional information regarding the incident, including the names of those responsible for the crime. Let’s plunge in!
How Did Bobby Franks Die?
Bobby Franks, also known as Robert Emanuel Franks, was the son of Jacob Franks, a rich Chicago watch manufacturer, and Flora Griesheimer. Bobby was born in Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois. The couple had two more children, Josephine and Jack, before they had Bobby. Bobby was the couple’s youngest son. The student at the prestigious and private Harvard School, who was just 14 years old, had a great deal of passion for a variety of sports and was enrolled there. After finishing high school, he intended to continue his education at a reputable institution due to the fact that he was both bright and mature beyond his years.
On May 21, 1924, a writer working for the Chicago Daily News overheard Illinois senator Samuel Ettelson and his friend Jacob telling the police that Jacob’s son Bobby did not return home from school on that particular day. Bobby was Jacob’s son. When the guy went to look for his son at the school, his wife received a phone call from a man who identified himself as “Johnson.” Johnson said that he had abducted Bobby. Jacob was instructed by the authorities to wait for further instructions from the kidnappers before he and his companions went out onto the street, which could have put Bobby in danger.
The next day, a note containing a ransom demand was sent to the Franks’ home. The note requested that Jacob obtain $10,000 and conceal it in a cigar box. Jacob was in the process of complying with the requirement when he received a second call informing him that the municipal morgue had a body that was consistent with Bobby’s age. However, when they learned that the deceased individual wore spectacles, they felt a sense of relief because Bobby did not wear glasses. Due to the fact that Bobby’s family did not want the media to print erroneous information, one of Bobby’s uncles went to the morgue to verify the information.
However, before Jacob could proceed to deliver the ransom, Bobby’s uncle called to clarify that the body in question did in fact belong to their son. This news prevented Jacob from going. When a manufacturing worker was making his way back to the mill after working the night shift, he was going through the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana, when he came across Bobby’s body in the bushes. Around 25 miles to the north of Chicago, law enforcement officers arrived at the location, which was a culvert adjacent to railroad tracks owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad. In order to expose Bobby’s true identity, the perpetrator or perpetrators of the crime had applied hydrochloric acid to his face and genital area. The face was so horribly disfigured that the authorities almost failed to notice the wounds that were on his head.
Who Would Want to Kill Bobby Franks?
Even though the authorities did not have a lot of clues or evidence to go on, they opted to concentrate their investigation on the teachers and staff at Bobby’s school. According to the episode, the authorities believed that the fact that the perpetrator had mutilated genitals suggested that they were a perverted individual (s). They first had suspicions about the English teacher because, according to the accounts of several different pupils, he had allegedly made inappropriate offers to a number of the students. Despite this, he was exonerated of any wrongdoing at a later time.
The junior version of Nathan Freudenthal Leopold
The police considered the pair of spectacles that were discovered at the scene to be the single most significant piece of evidence in their possession. The mill worker had mistakenly believed that the glasses belonged to the victim, and as a result, he had placed them on Bobby’s face, which is what first caused the confusion. Despite the fact that the prescription for the pair of horn-rimmed glasses was extremely common, it was reportedly equipped with a distinguishing feature that ultimately led police to the perpetrator of the crime. This feature was a patented hinge that connected the earpiece to the nosepiece of the glasses.
Almer Coe & Company was the only location in Chicago where these hinges could be purchased from the New York company that was the sole manufacturer of them. This retailer had only ever sold a total of three pairs of eyeglasses equipped with such hinges; one of those pairs belonged to a lady, and the other had been purchased by a lawyer who was travelling in Europe at the time of the murder. Nathan Freudenthal Leopold Jr., who had been questioned by the police as a prospective witness in the beginning, ended up purchasing the third pair of shoes that were for sale. Leopold stated that it was possible that he had misplaced the glasses when he was out there viewing the birds.
Richard Albert Loeb
In addition, the police discovered that Nathan had a close buddy named Richard Loeb, who some people assert was also his boyfriend. On May 29, 1924, both men were hauled in for formal questioning, and Richard was the first one to confess during the formal interrogation. He stated that Nathan was the mastermind behind the crime and that he had used a chisel to kill Bobby while Richard was driving the automobile. Soon after, Nathan also admitted to the crime, claiming that he was only the driver and that Richard was the actual killer. Both confessions were made public on May 31, 1924, despite the fact that the police were unable to identify the perpetrator of the murder.
Is it true that Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb have both passed away?
Nathan and Richard allegedly killed Bobby because they were bored and wanted to commit the perfect crime, inspired by their delusions that they were Übermenschen, which is German for “supermen.” However, the most stunning aspect of the murder was the purpose behind it. July 1924 saw the beginning of the trial for both of the accused murderers, who were defended by the well-known attorney Clarence Darrow. The trial lasted for a total of 33 days, and as a result of Clarence’s eloquent and well-known argument against the use of the death penalty, both defendants were ultimately handed sentences of 99 years for kidnapping and life sentences for murder. The convicted murderers were housed at the Northern Illinois Penitentiary, which is located in the vicinity of Joliet, Illinois.
In 1931, Nathan was sent to the Stateville Penitentiary, and Richard was the next in line to make the journey. The two were able to keep their friendship intact and even played a big part in the expansion of the prison school system. Specifically, they advocated for the addition of high school and junior college courses to the existing jail education programme. On January 28, 1936, a fellow convict named James Day was responsible for the murder of Richard, which took place in the shower room of the prison. James had used a straight razor to inflict more than 50 cuts on Richard’s body, including cutting his throat as he was standing behind him.
A depressed While Nathan was incarcerated at the time, he continued his work and released his autobiography in 1958 under the title “Life Plus 99 Years.” In March of 1958, he was granted parole and allowed to leave jail. After working as a medical technician in a hospital in Puerto Rico, Nathan settled down in Santurce and wed a flower shop owner who had previously been widowed. He went on to receive a master’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico, where he also attended lectures and later conducted research on leprosy at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. In addition, he attended the University of Puerto Rico. On August 29, 1971, at the age of 66, he passed away due to natural causes, specifically a heart attack that was related to his diabetes.