This Was The Most Important Trial in American History. Here's Why
Whether we want to admit it or not, a great deal of us are morbidly fascinated with true crime and real-life cases. The inner workings of court cases across of the American justice system have drawn the attention of audiences for hundreds of years, with some being more shocking and interesting than others. From charming serial killers and white collar crimes to celebrities falling from grace, court rooms across the country have seen plenty of drama. Here are just a few of the most important trials in American history, ones that still fascinate the public to this day.
O.J. Simpson went free
The world was gripped to the television sets in 1995 when footballer O.J. Simpson went to trial, charged with the murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
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The trial was one of the most watched in American history. Every aspect from his arrest to his eventual acquittal was broadcast, leading everyone to make their own opinion about whether he was guilty or not.
DuPont were poisoning the water
DuPont, a manufacturer of Teflon came under fire when it was discovered that a by-product of the substance was poisoning the drinking water of towns near their chemical plants.
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In 2017 the company paid over 3550 lawsuits totalling $671 million. In 2019, Mark Ruffalo starred in Dark Waters, a movie adaptation of the trial and investigation.
The Lindberg baby kidnapping
The Lindberg baby incident in which the infant son of aviator Charles Lindberg was kidnapped and murdered, is one of history’s more horrific accounts.
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Two months after being taken, the child’s body was found. The media interest was rife around the case and eventually, after much speculation, and almost everybody becoming a suspect, the Lindberg’s handyman was tried, convicted, and executed.
The Manson Family murders
After the gruesome Tate-LaBianca murders, cult leader Charles Manson and his followers were the center of a seven-month long trial after which they were all sentenced to death.
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This was ‘relaxed’ to life in prison when California abolished the death penalty. The trial is one of the most infamous in true crime history.
The outcome of the Rodney King case caused riots in the streets
In 1991, footage of several LAPD officers viciously beating Black activist Rodney King was unleashed into the world. The police brutality led to public uproar and the officers went to trial.
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The officers were charged with assault and excessive use of excessive force, but were acquitted. This sparked outrage and began five days of rioting throughout Los Angeles, which resulted in more than $1 billion worth of damage.
John Gotti finally ran out of luck
John Gotti was a New York mob boss who was so good at avoiding the law that he earned the nickname Teflon Don. Eventually though, his luck ran out.
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The authorities managed to turn Gotti’s confidant, Sammy ‘The Bull’ Gravano. After a lengthy, and very public trial, Gotti was convicted of five murders amongst a plethora of other charges.
Jodi Arias' trial was watched by everyone
With most high-profile crimes attributed to men, cases with women automatically capture the public’s attention. The Jodi Arias case, in which Arias was accused of murdering her boyfriend, is a prime example.
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The five-month long trial was broadcast on television for the whole of America to watch unfold in real-time.
The trial that got swept up in Satanic Panic
The longest and most expensive trial in American history is the McMartin Preschool Abuse trial. The case came to light during the height of the Satanic Panic hysteria.
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After seven years and $15 million dollars of investigating and prosecuting from the mid 80s to early 90s, the case was dismissed with no convictions made.
Michael Jackson cleared of charges
Although King of Pop Michael Jackson was never convicted, the trial against him in 2005 tarnished the later years of his career and life.
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Jackson was arrested in 2003 and stood accused of crimes against children. Given his celebrity status, the media frenzy was rabid. Ultimately the musician was acquitted of the charges.
A sports scandal changed the great game
In 1921, eight members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox players were indicted on charges of having fixed the games. The scandal was dubbed the Black Sox scandal.
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Although none of the eight players were found to be guilty, all players were banned from playing baseball professionally ever again.
The controversial trials of Sacco and Vanzetti
The controversial Sacco-Venzetti trial went on for seven years, ultimately concluding with the execution of both Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzettti.
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The pair of Italian immigrants stood accused of murdering F.A. Parmenter and Alessandro Berardelli during a robbery gone wrong. Throughout the trial the two men pleaded their innocence, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
The chilling case of Dr. Death
Jack Kevorkian became infamous under the chilling moniker of Dr. Death. He gained notoriety during the late 90s when he was revealed to have been assisting the end-of-life of his terminally ill patients.
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During his trial, Kevorkian had no argument as the evidence was stacked against him. A video of him administering a lethal injection to a patient sealed his fate and he was sent to prison.
Lindsay Lohan's fall from grace
During the 00s, actress Lindsay Lohan was one of the most promising rising stars of young Hollywood. Then in 2010 she found herself at the center of a high-profile trial.
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Lohan stood trial for her violation of probation for two prior DUI charges. The trial attracted record-breaking viewing figures, culminating in Lohan being sentenced to three months in jail.
A billionaire fraudster got his comeuppance
Former CEO of telecom giant WorldCom, Bernard Ebbers was found guilty of billions of dollars of accounting and financial fraud.
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His trial lasted from August 2003 until July 2005 and featured the accounts of several of those that he had conned. Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but died in 2020.
The young sniper who shocked America
In the fall of 2002, more than a dozen people were shot by an unknown sniper in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Fear was high on the streets and the case eventually led to a massive manhunt.
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Over 400 FBI agents were deployed to catch the assailants. Eventually Lee Boyd Malvo and John Muhammad (who was 17 at the time) were found and sent to trial.
Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard broke the internet
The defamation trial between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard was ravenously consumed like the latest hit reality show.
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The trial was centred on an op-ed piece Heard wrote for the Washington Post in which she alleged that Depp was abusive. Everything about the case was toxic, and highlighted the public’s obsession with celebrities.
Celebrity doctor Dr. Conrad Murray found guilty
Dr. Conrad Murray is viewed by many as the man who killed the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, due to him being the star's personal physician.
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In the wake of Jackson’s death, Murray faced charges of involuntary manslaughter. He was convicted and served two of a four year sentence. The media coverage garnered TV channel HLN record high ratings.
The curious case of Casey Anthony's missing daughter
The trial of Casey Anthony is another featuring a woman that whipped the public into a frenzy. The case is a tragic one as it involved the death of a small child.
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After reporting her daughter missing, Anthony was arrested on child abuse allegations and was suspected of murdering her child. Eventually, after a cable broadcast trial, Anthony was acquitted of the murder.
The Salem Witch Trials were hysteria gone wild
Whilst they may not have happened in our time, it is important to look back and remember the atrocities that occurred during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
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Salem was taken over by a mass hysteria in which women were accused of being witches. These women were forced into impossible feats to prove their innocence, with many dying in the process.
Ted Bundy charmed the TV cameras
The trial of serial killer Ted Bundy was always going to capture public interest. In 1979 it became the first trial to be televised nationwide.
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Bundy loved the attention and played up for the cameras, charming many with his movie star looks. Millions watched the case unfold, which ultimately ended with Bundy sentenced to death.
The Weinstein trial that changed Hollywood
In 2017, dozens of women accused film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct and assault, with allegations extending back thirty years. By the time the case went to trial, over eighty women had come forward.
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Weinstein was arrested in 2018, and in 2020 he was sentenced to twenty-three years in prison, and later an additional sixteen years. The case blew the lid on the toxicity of the entertainment industry and kickstarted the #MeToo movement.
The first female serial killer on death row
Killer Aileen Wuornos' court case was a roller-coaster ride. Her previous criminal convictions were also allowed as evidence, which is not usually permitted.
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Wuornos was adamant that she only killed in self-defence, but, after less than a month on trial, Wuornos was sentenced to death.
Leopold and Loeb on trial for the 'perfect crime'
College students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were obsessed with committing the perfect crime. In 1924 the pair abducted a 14 year old boy, Bobby Franks, and murdered him.
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However, Leopold’s specialized eyeglasses were found near the body. The trial generated a media frenzy when high profile lawyer Clarence Darrow was hired to defend them.
The retrial that sent Danny Masterson to jail
The road to That ‘70s Show star Danny Masterson ending up behind bars was a long one. Masterson was retried on rape charges after his case was previously deemed a mistrial.
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Second time around, the charges stuck, and Masterson was convicted of three counts of forcible rape, and was sentenced to thirty years to life. The actor maintains his innocence.
Details of Jeffrey Dahmer's required editing for broadcast
In 1992, Jeffrey Dahmer stood trial charged with fifteen murders. His trial coincided with the advent of 24 hour news channels and so the case was given a lot of air time.
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However, Dahmer’s crimes were so grotesque that there was a twenty second delay so that producers could edit out the gorier aspects. Dahmer was sentenced to 957 years in prison.
Lenny Bruce paved the way for modern comedians
Without comedian Lenny Bruce, modern stand-up comics would not exist. Bruce was never one to hold back on his thoughts, but his opinions found him constantly in court.
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He faced multiple accusations of public indecency and obscenity, and was convicted of the latter during a highly publicised trial in 1964.
Megan Thee Stallion testified against Tory Lanez
When rapper Tory Lanez went to trial on felony firearm charges, one of his victims, fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion, was there to make sure he got punished for shooting her in the foot.
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She shared, “He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma. This is a statement for all survivors that their lives matter and there is zero tolerance for the torture that accompanies violence.”
The Enron scandal led to the company's downfall
Kenneth Lay and Jeffery Skilling are the men behind what has been commonly called the most notorious white-collar crime in history, better known as the Enron scandal.
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From July 2004 to October 2006, a trial exposed the men’s masterminding of accounting and wire fraud, which ultimately led to the downfall of the billion dollar company, Enron.
The Unabomber was finally sentenced
Math prodigy Ted Kaczynski is better known to a generation as the Unabomber. Over the course of 20 years, Kaczynski planted a series of bombs that killed three people and injured many more.
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After his capture in 1996, the news followed his case closely. Kaczynski pleaded guilty to avoid a death sentence and was sentenced to a supermax Colorado prison until he died in 2023.
The decade-long journey to put R. Kelly behind bars
Due to his high profile and the severity of his charges, R&B singer R. Kelly's trial was one of the most high profile in celebrity history. In 2008 Kelly was acquitted of all charges.
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In 2022 he was found guilty of producing material depicting child abuse and three charges of enticing a minor.
The first trial broadcast across the world
Although the trial of war criminal Adolf Eichmann did not happen on American soil, it was broadcast across the globe from Israel.
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The trial into his war crimes related to genocide ended up being the first to be televised. The broadcast helped educate millions about the horrors of WWII’s concentration camps. Eichmann was executed in 1962.
The fall of Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby was once beloved by the American public, but after multiple sexual assault accusations came to light in 2014, all of this changed.
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In 2018 he was sentenced to three to ten years in prison, but was released on a technicality in 2021. Fresh allegations were made in 2023, for which Cosby is yet to stand trial for.
Gwynwth Paltrow's meme-worthy lawsuit
In 2023, Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow provided the Internet with a fresh treasure trove of meme worthy content with her ski accident court case.
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Optometrist Terry Sanderson sued Paltrow claiming injuries after she had skied into him. The jury ruled in favor of Paltrow and there’s a documentary about the trial in the works at Discovery+.
The Menendez Brothers trial was straight out of a soap opera
Brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez rose to infamy after they were accused of murdering their parents. Court TV screened everything, from deadlocked jurors, to declarations of mistrials.
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The public got so involved that they started calling the District Attorney to share their views on the case.
Lizzie Borden was ruled innocent
Lizzie Borden has gone down in history as being an axe murderer. A popular nursery rhyme recounts the time Borden whacked her mother and father over forty times a piece.
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At her trial, Borden claimed to have found her parents dead rather than having done the deed herself. As the evidence was only circumstantial, the jury acquitted her.
The trial of Rae Curruth revealed a horrific truth
Since 2001, former NFL starnRae Carruth has been serving time for his part in the murder of his pregnant girlfriend.
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During a relatively short trial of eleven weeks, the frequency of calls between Carruth and his friend Van Brett Watkins were scrutinized. The pair allegedly hired a gunman to shoot her whilst she was stuck in traffic.
The trial that ended Martha Stewart's wholesome image
Martha Stewart was once America’s sweetheart. The homemaker had a handy hack to help solve any household issue, and a delicious recipe to pair with it.
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In 2004, it was revealed that Stewart had been charged with financial misappropriation and insider trading. After a year-long trial, Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison.
Scott Peterson's trail had plenty of twists and turns
The trial of Scott Peterson, a man accused of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, was all anyone could talk about for much of its two year run.
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What made the case so compelling was the constant unearthing of high drama moments, including the revelation of his own infidelity. Peterson maintains his innocence and is about to embark on another appeal.
The morbidly fascinating trial of Phil Spector
Music producer Phil Spector was the subject of a high-profile trial between 2007 and 2009, which was investigating the death of actress Lana Clarkson.
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Spector initially claimed that Clarkson has committed suicide on his property, but was eventually found guilty of her murder. The public were morbidly fascinated as the macabre details were revealed.
John Wayne Gacy confessed before his trail began
During his life, serial killer clown John Wayne Gacy is thought to have murdered at least thirty-three young men, the majority of which he buried under his home.
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The scandal in his trial came from the fact that he confessed to his crimes ahead of the court appearance. His admission of guilt didn’t soften his sentence, with Gacy receiving twenty-one life sentences and an additional twelve death sentences.