2. The Crime
• Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., was a 20-month old boy. The son of the
famous aviator and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
• The young child was kidnapped from his home around 9:00pm., on March 1,
1932
• Major events that took place between the kidnapping and the discovery of
the body include:
The 1st ransom note found in the nursery, demanding $50,000.
The 2nd ransom note, demanding $70,000.
Dr. Condon went to meet “Cemetery John” to obtain evidence of the baby’s well-being.
3. The Investigation
• Agencies that investigated this case included:
New Jersey State Police, originally took on the case
Later on, the FBI, IRS. and New York City Police, helped investigate the case as well.
• What techniques did they use: The FBI made the ransom money payable in
traceable gold notes. The serial numbers of the notes were recorded in hopes of
tracking the individuals who could be involved in the kidnapping of the baby.
They also matched the wood used in the ladder outside the baby's window. This
wood matched the wood found in the suspect's home. He was also found cashing
some of the gold notes.
• The evidence they had to work with: They had a chisel and pieces of a wooden
ladder used to climb to the baby's window.
• The evidence that led to the arrest of the suspect: The suspect was caught a year
later when he was caught trying to cash some of the traceable gold notes. Also,
the wood sample from the ladder matched one of the missing floor boards in his
home.
4. Key Figures
• Members of the Lindbergh family: Anne Lindbergh
• Household employees of the Lindberghs: Betty Gow, the baby's nurse. Violet
Sharpe, one of the baby's nurses, that committed suicide after the police
pried into her personal life
• Main investigators: FBI and the IRS
• Dr. Condon: A retired school principal from the Bronx who offered to act as a
go between for the family and the suspect in the ransom notes.
• “Cemetery John”: He met Dr. Condon at the Woodlawn cemetery to collect
and gave a proof of life as the baby's coat.
• Bruno Richard Hauptmann: He was the person who was caught cashing in
some of the gold notes and had a missing floor board in his home that
matched the sample of wood used in the ladder.
5. The Trial
• The trial was held in Flemington, New Jersey
• The attorneys included
Prosecutor : David Wilentz
Defense : Edward Kelly
• The key witnesses included:
Mr. and Mrs. Lindbergh
The state troopers
Members of the Lindbergh employment
• The role that forensic evidence played in the case: The wood used in the ladder played a
key role as they found the exact same type of wood in the house of the suspect. Also,
the serial numbers from the traceable gold notes implicated the suspect as he was
caught cashing them in a year after the kidnapping.
• How did the media handle the story: The media printed false information about the
ransom demands.
• The verdict: Guilty of murder in the first degree. The sentence was death
6. The Aftermath
• “The Supreme Court of the State of New Jersey on October 9, 1935, upheld the
verdict of the Lower Court. Hauptmann's appeal to the Supreme Court of the
United States was denied on December 9, 1935, and he was to be electrocuted
on January 17, 1936. However, on this same day the Governor of the State of
New Jersey granted a 30-day reprieve and on February 17, 1936, Hauptmann
was resentenced, to be electrocuted during the week of March 30, 1936. On
March 30, 1936, the Pardon Court of the State of New Jersey denied
Hauptmann's petition for clemency, and on April 3, 1936, at 8:47 p.m., Bruno
Richard Hauptmann was electrocuted.” (http://www.fbi.gov/about-
us/history/famous-cases/the-lindbergh-kidnapping )
• On February 13, 1935, the jury returned a verdict. On April 3, 1936, at 8:47
p.m., Bruno Richard Hauptmann was electrocuted.
• After the trial, Congress passed the Federal Kidnapping Act, also known as the
“Lindbergh Law”, that made transporting a kidnapping victim across state
lines a federal crime.
