Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold’s ‘Perfect Murder’
The young men thought they could outsmart law enforcement but left behind identifying evidence.
The Abduction
On May 21, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois, fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks went missing while walking home from school. His father, Jacob Franks, was a wealthy watch manufacturer and was well known and highly respected in their community.
The evening of his abduction, Bobby’s parents received a phone call from a man who called himself “George Johnson” and informed them that their son had been abducted but was safe and they would give him back for a $10,000 ransom. The man said random instructions would arrive shortly.
The following morning, a letter detailing the ransom instructions arrived in the mail. The instructions were meticulous and lengthy, but the family was willing to comply to get their son back.
The family had barely gotten through the first set of instructions when they received word that Bobby’s body had been found. The ransomers had lied and had never had any intention of exchanging Bobby for the…
