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Richard Loeb is an infanous name in American popular culture. Here we see Richard as an angelic-looking boys wearing a velvet suit with a large Eton collar and bow. He has knickers pants and white long stockings. He looks to be about 10-years old. He looks quite ordinary in the photograph, showing that even quite ordinary looking people are capable of terrible acts. Even at such a young age there were indications suggesting that he was a troubled person. Even before this portrait was taken, Dickie has show an interest in detective \ysteries and aspecuial interest in random killing.
He met Nathan Leopold, also from a weathy family, 5 years later (1920). They had a stormy relationship. Both were from wealthy families and had pampered childhoods. They were by all accounts exceptional studebts. Four years later the two as University of Chicago students set out to carry out the perfect crime. They rented a car and kidnapped 14-year old Bobby Franks just before he got home for dinner. Bobby was chosen at random. They killed him with a chisel blow to his head. He was found stuffed in a culvert. Acid had been poured over his body.
Richard Loeb is an infanous name in American popular culture. Here we see Richard as an angelic-looking boys wearing a velvet suit with a large Eton collar and bow. He has knickers pants and white long stockings. He looks to be about 10-years old. He looks quite ordinary in the photograph, showing that even quite ordinary looking people are capable of terrible acts. Even at such a young age there were indications suggesting that he was a troubled person. Even before this portrait was taken, Dickie has show an interest in detective mysteries and a special interest in random killing.
Dickie met Nathan Leopold, also from a weathy family, 5 years later (1920). They had a stormy relationship. Both were from wealthy families and had pampered childhoods. They were by all accounts exceptional students.
Four years later the two as University of Chicago students set out to carry out the perfect crime. They rented a car and kidnapped 14-year old Bobby Franks just before he got home for dinner. Bobby was chosen at random. They killed him with a chisel blow to his head. He was found stuffed in a culvert. Acid had been poured over his body. They were trying to commit the perfect murder but left incriminating evidence behind. - a pair of spectaculars. A type that only rich people bought. It was fortunate for the police that the design had only been selected by a handful of customers.
With this break, it only took 4 days for the Chicago police to unraveled the case. Lopold and Loeb became two of the most infamous murderers in American crime history. They were not serial killers, they only killed Bobby, but the calouness and sencelessness as well as the fact that they came from such prominant families shocked Americans. Their wealthy parents hired legendary defense attorney Clarence Darrow. Both young men he pleaded guilty. Darrow managed to persuade the judge to spare their lives. Loeb was murdered in prison by a cell mate. Leopold was granted parole in the 1950s. He went overseas and married. He was involved in humanitarian work and died in 1971.
Many students use HBC to research history assignments. Some teachers use our site in various ways. A teacherin Serbia tells us that he used this page for a safety lesson. "Thanks for your wondeful website i and my students have beenn making goid use of it. I thinke how you focus on the children in history. That has helped me make my history lessons more interesting ton my students. Uesterday I used one of your recent pages for a safety lesson. I showed Richard Loeb's portrait to my class without telling them what I had in mind. They thought the boy was about the same age as them (9-10 years old). Both the boys and girls said they would let him play with them. Several thought he looked cute. They thought he was from a wealthy background. His clothes, shiny shoews and his well groomed appearance led the class to this conclusion. They thought that the book he was reading shows that he was a clever boy. However there were two boys who were not so sure and it was his facial expression which made them think he might be a naughty character. Then I added the information that he liked reading detective stories. This changed some of the boys' feelings. They were the ones who liked crime stories themselves. Of his future life the class thought he would follow a professional career. Industialist, Retale millionaire, doctor, writer, artist ans several thought he might have become a policeman or detective. There was a lively debate about going with him in a car when he was older but it centured on it being Ok to be somebody you know. In general having known Richard Loeb for years my class would travel with him if he offered them a lift. Finally I told them the whole sad story about Bobby Franks. They were shocked to discover that he and his friend murdered a teenage boy and was in prison for the rest of his life. One boy who had suspected he was not as good a boy said, 'See I told you so!"
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