Hunterdon County Courthouse
Flemington, New Jersey
Before there was O.J. Simpson, there was another "Trial of the Century"; that of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, accused of kidnapping and killing the 20-month-old baby of American aviator and hero Charles A. Lindbergh. It took 2 1/2 years for the New Jersey State Police, headed by Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf (father of future Gulf War hero "Stormin´ Norman") to build a case against Hauptmann.
His defense wasn't helped by his criminal record in his native Germany, or that he had fought for the losing side in World War I. But the case against him had more substance than anti-immigrant zeal, including the discovery of a portion of Lindbergh's $50,000 ransom money in his home. The ensuing trial lasted only 32 days and deliberations lasted less than 12 hours, finding him guilty of murder. A little more than one year later, Hauptmann was executed, professing his innocence to the end.