The Richard Bruno Hauptmann Trial - Case Study Example

After two days, the body of the baby was found dead leaving no suspect. The investigation of the crime which includes the autopsy and the ladder has lead to a conclusion of inside job. But two years after the crime was committed, gold certificates were reportedly being used in New York. After how many days, Richard Hauptmann was tracked down and was arrested but stated his innocence in the crime. He informed the investigators that he got the gold certificates from the properties of a friend but he was still charged with the case because more gold certificates were found in his house.

Prosecutors laid three aspects involving Hauptmann in the case. First is the ransom bills hidden in Hauptmann's garage. Second is the link of the beam from Hauptmann's loft to the ladder used by the kidnappers and third is the claim of handwriting experts that the handwriting used in the ransom notes were written by the suspect. The 20-month old victim, Charles Lindbergh Jr., was the son of the famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh, and poet and writer, Anne Lindberg. Charles Lindbergh is considered as one of America's hero and is the first man to fly in Atlantic using a one-engine airplane.

After the kidnap-murder of the 20-month old Lindbergh baby, many had pitied the family and had supported the investigation up to the trial of the case. But after Hauptmann was sentenced to death, many have doubted the fairness of the trial. The trial of the Lindbergh case was questionable in terms of the following:(a) The missing and distorted evidence.Hauptmann claimed that he worked at the Majestic Apartments at 72nd Street and Central Park West during the day of the crime until 5:00 P.M. giving him no time to travel to New Jersey and commit the kidnapping.

The contractor of the accused had signed a receipt proving that Hauptmann was on his work until 5:00 P.M and it was submitted to the Districts Attorney. But during the presentation of the records, the receipt was nowhere to be found. Documents showing that the accused was employed before the day of the crime, were distorted. Also the prosecution changed their testimony that the accused had worked before the crime was committed instead claimed otherwise.(b) Voice recognitionWhen Charles Lindbergh was first asked if he had recognized the voice of the kidnapper during the giving of the ransom, he stated that it is impossible for him to recognize the voice.

The following day, when he was again asked, after hearing Hauptmann saying the words said by the kidnappers, he claimed he was very sure that Hauptmann's voice was the kidnapper's voice. (c) Nearly blind eye witnessWhy would the court allow