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Dive into the most sensational and controversial legal battles that captivated the world! From shocking murders to historical injustices, we'll explore the criminal trials that became cultural phenomena and defined entire eras of human history.
Transcript
00:00What kind of a diabolical mind would contemplate or conceive these seven murders?
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most famous and influential criminal trials throughout human history.
00:11The horrors and crimes of the Nazis were put on display for all the world to see.
00:16Number 10. Lyle and Eric Menendez
00:18We're gonna do this. We're gonna do this. We're gonna do this. We're gonna do this. We're gonna do this. We're gonna do this.
00:31Okay, let's go do this right now.
00:32One of the most infamous and widely debated legal cases in American history began on the night of August 20th, 1989,
00:38when Lyle and Eric Menendez murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty.
00:42The trial began in 1993 and created a media frenzy due in large part to the scandalous crime and the moral ambiguity that generated endless discussion.
00:50What do you believe was the originating cause of you and your brother ultimately winding up shooting your parents?
01:00Some believed the brothers' allegations, arguing that society often dismisses male victims of sexual abuse.
01:06Others saw their claims as fabricated, having conveniently surfaced after their arrest.
01:10It also highlighted challenges in balancing claims of trauma with the standards for justifiable homicide.
01:15As such, the Menendez trial was emblematic of the justice system's complexities.
01:19And it was a tantalizing drama to follow for multiple years.
01:22How old were you when you heard things like, I wish you were never born?
01:32Seven.
01:37Seven.
01:38Number nine, Joan of Arc.
01:39You must take the oath. Not even a king would refuse to take an oath to tell the truth in a matter of faith.
01:45I will tell you all that I'm allowed to tell you.
01:47A young peasant woman from Don Remy, Joan of Arc claimed to have divine visions instructing her to lead France to victory against the English during the Hundred Years' War.
01:55Unfortunately, she was captured by the Burgundians and put on trial, facing accusations of heresy, witchcraft, and even cross-dressing for dressing in male military attire.
02:04Her trial lasted several months, involving intense interrogations and theological scrutiny.
02:09She was ultimately found guilty of heresy.
02:11I ask only one thing. Please, hear my confession.
02:21I can't, Joan. I can't hear your confession.
02:28I'm very sorry.
02:29On May 30th, 1431, she was famously burned at the stake.
02:33With strong religious connotations, interesting political dynamics, and revolutionary examinations of gender roles, Joan's martyrdom transformed her into a symbol of French nationalism.
02:42Nearly 500 years after her death, Joan was canonized and made a patron saint of France.
02:48I was proud and stubborn.
03:01Number 8. Leopold and Loeb
03:03It becomes a national sensation. Every aspect of this crime is looked at.
03:09A lot of the newspapers called on phrenologists to study their facial features and the shapes of their heads to see if there was any clues.
03:18Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb kidnapped and murdered teenager Bobby Franks on May 21st, 1924.
03:24They hoped that by getting away with it, they would become master criminals.
03:27However, they were quickly caught and confessed just 10 days later.
03:30As this was deemed the crime of the century, the Leopold and Loeb trial was highly publicized, their defense led by the famous attorney Clarence Darrow.
03:37As they had already pleaded guilty, the trial was more of a sentencing hearing, with Darrow staunchly arguing against the death penalty in favor of life imprisonment.
03:45Running for 32 days, the famous trial concluded with an eight-hour speech performed by Darrow, in which he passionately criticized the practice of capital punishment.
03:54Both men were ultimately sentenced to life.
03:56His brilliance was if I have them plead guilty, we go right to our sentencing hearing. And then it all depends on one judge.
04:07Number seven, the Rodney King beating trial.
04:09Every day, regular folks from the public file in to watch the trial. And you can too, if you can beat the rush.
04:15On the morning of March 3rd, 1991, Rodney King was famously beaten by a number of Los Angeles police officers following a brief car chase.
04:22This beating was famously captured on video by salesman George Holliday, and it spread through the news in the days that followed.
04:28Four officers were charged and put on trial, and said trial became a hot-button topic in the spring of 1992.
04:34The case famously brought together numerous contentious issues under one umbrella, most importantly those of race relations and police brutality.
04:42Americans, we African-Americans, we had evidence of our claims of, you know, injustice and mistreatment.
04:50The officers were ultimately acquitted, resulting in the famous rights that engulfed Los Angeles for the next six days.
04:56Sixty-three people were killed, over 2,000 were injured, and approximately $1 billion in destruction was caused.
05:02Okay, there's now been a chance bill of alert for this area.
05:07Number six, Socrates.
05:08Socrates, the only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing.
05:17That's us, dude!
05:19The trial of Socrates in 399 BCE is not only one of the most famous criminal trials in history, it's one of the most pivotal moments in Western philosophy.
05:27Socrates encouraged critical thinking, and his perceived opposition to democratic ideals made him a convenient scapegoat for the Athenian anxiety of the time.
05:35As such, he was charged with both impiety and corrupting the youth.
05:39Socrates remained steadfast in his principles and openly challenged his charges.
05:43When he was found guilty, he famously asked to be rewarded with free meals for a light, as he believed that his philosophical work had greatly benefited the city.
05:50Socrates ultimately denied exile in favor of death, in the process becoming a martyr for philosophy and the freedom of thought.
05:57Poison hemlock? Isn't that what Socrates died from?
05:59Well, forensics says this stuff grows wild, not just in ancient Greece.
06:03Paralyzes the muscles and finally the lungs.
06:06Number five, the Manson family.
06:08Well, I got a message from Sadie, and she told me that the district attorney made her say what she said.
06:15That's too nonsensical for us to respond to, your honor.
06:17The counterculture or hippie era arguably died with Sharon Tate.
06:21Of course, Tate was just one of seven victims, but she was by far the most famous, and her heinous murder made headlines around the world.
06:27The resulting trial was a circus.
06:29The Manson family's motive was unclear, leading prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi to craft his still contentious helter-skelter theory.
06:36To Manson, helter-skelter meant the black man rising up and destroying the entire white race.
06:42That is, with the exception of Charles Manson and his chosen followers.
06:47Meanwhile, Manson and his followers were irritatingly brazen, often laughing in the courtroom and famously carving X's into their own foreheads.
06:54The trial was a mirror reflecting the societal turmoil of the late 1960s, representing disillusioned youth, countercultural ideals, and violent rebellion.
07:02It also greatly blurred the line between justice and entertainment, with the spectacle often overshadowing the legal proceedings.
07:08Did you expect this verdict?
07:10The revolution.
07:12What do you mean by a revolution?
07:14A bloody revolution.
07:15Number four, the Nuremberg Trials.
07:17But the Nuremberg Trials were an important step towards rebuilding an international system of justice.
07:22They established important legal precedents for future international trials.
07:26By November 1945, World War II was finally over, and it was time for Nazi Germany to pay for their crimes.
07:32Named after the German city in which they were hosted, the Nuremberg Trials ran from November 1945 to October 1946, with 24 defendants taking the stand, including Hitler's designated successor, Hermann Goering.
07:44The trials introduced several legal precedents, most notably the classification of crimes against humanity, which was used to prosecute systemic atrocities in subsequent decades.
07:53There's a common responsibility for the crimes that were committed in the name of the Third Reich. No one is blameless, apart from the victims.
08:01And despite being a deeply symbolic reckoning of the Nazi regime, showcasing a common humanitarian goal of doling out justice, the trials were also deeply controversial, raising both ethical and legal concerns.
08:12In the end, 11 of the 24 defendants were sentenced to death.
08:15Defendant Hermann Goering.
08:22The tribunal finds you guilty on all four counts and sentences you to death by hanging.
08:30Number three, the Salem Witch Trials.
08:32Will you confess yourself befouled with hell?
08:38Or do you keep that black allegiance yet?
08:41What say you?
08:42Between February 1692 and May 1693, colonial Massachusetts was ravaged by paranoia.
08:48The result was one of the most controversial events in American history.
08:51More than 200 people were accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials, with the accused often representing marginalized members of the community.
08:59The prosecution relied heavily on spectral evidence, in which the court gave serious credence to the concepts of visions and spirits.
09:05I'm not hurting her!
09:07Why does she see you up there?
09:08She sees nothing!
09:09She sees nothing!
09:10Have you compacted with the devil?
09:12Never!
09:13Never!
09:14Never!
09:15Never!
09:16The bogus trials were considered unlawful as early as 1702, just nine years after they concluded.
09:20But it was too late for the 25 individuals who died, either by execution, torment, or unsanitary jail conditions.
09:26It was a complex interplay of mass hysteria and societal pressures, a warning against the unchecked aggression of fear and prejudice.
09:33Have you made compact with the devil to destroy this investigation?
09:37Behold to the truth!
09:38I have brought this change in you.
09:40You have made compact with the devil, have you not?
09:432. Bruno Hauptmann
09:44We, the jury, find the defendant, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, guilty of murder in the first degree.
09:50American journalist H.L. Mencken famously called it the biggest story since the Resurrection.
09:55The media called it the crime of the century.
09:57It caused Congress to pass the Federal Kidnapping Act.
09:59The case, of course, is the Lindbergh Kidnapping, in which young Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. was abducted from his home and murdered.
10:06The crime of the century gave rise to the trial of the century, with a German carpenter named Bruno Hauptmann being blamed for the murder.
10:13It was a media circus, with the prosecution relying heavily on circumstantial evidence to build its case.
10:18And while Hauptmann was found guilty and executed, this outcome remains highly controversial, with both the evidence and legal case against him being deeply flawed.
10:26Charles Lindbergh was leading the investigation and telling the state police what they could or could not do.
10:32The baby cremated and put out an order that none of the evidence would ever undergo further scientific investigations.
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10:571. O.J. Simpson
10:58It makes no sense. It doesn't fit. If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.
11:04It's hard to conceptualize just how big the O.J. Simpson trial was for people who weren't there.
11:08This thing was massive, perhaps the cultural event of our time.
11:11Many TV stations stopped what they were airing to show the famous Bronco chase.
11:15I'm going to have to interrupt this call. I understand we're going to go to a live picture in Los Angeles. Is that correct?
11:23OK, this is Interstate 5 and this is courtesy of KCLR, one of our L.A. affiliates.
11:29Police believe that O.J. Simpson is in that car.
11:34The trial was extensively studied and analyzed in the media day in and day out.
11:38An estimated 150 million people watched the verdict live, making it one of the most watched television broadcasts in history.
11:44Many iconic cultural moments were created from the trial, including the famous glove incident.
11:49And of course, the controversial not guilty verdict put an infamous end to an already famous trial.
11:54There's simply no other trial like this one.
11:56We, the jury, in the above entitled action, find the defendant Oren Orenthal James Simpson not guilty of the crime of murder in violation of Penal Code Section 187.
12:05Can you think of any other examples? Let us know in the comments below.
12:08We cannot relent. What say you, Corey?
12:13More. Wait.
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