Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold They were, at the same time, best friends and worst enemies. His vanity, elitism and psychiatric imbalances They led them to commit a crime as absurd as it was aberrant, ruining their lives and those of their family. Although the real victim was his cousin 14 years old, Bobby.
With the excuse of showing him a new racket, they convinced the boy to get into their car and beat him unconscious. They put a cloth over his throat which ended up suffocating him and They deceived his family to obtain a million-dollar ransom. Having killed the child, they made his parents believe that he was fine, and that if they gave them $10,000 would get him back safely.
Who are Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold and what crimes did they commit?
Both Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold were two privileged 18 and 19 year olds. Nathan Born on November 19, 1904 in Chicago, he was the son of German Jewish immigrants and was considered a gifted child. He began to speak at 4 months, and at 19 he already graduated in philosophy. He spoke 5 languages fluently and was a renowned ornithologist.
His philosophical interest focused, in particular, on Friedrich Nietzsche, who ended up obsessing him. He also had a deep interest in masochism, slavery, good and evil. After philosophy, he entered law school to obtain a law degree. There he met another child prodigy, Richard Loeb, who would become his best friend and accomplice.
Richard Born on June 11, 1905, also in Chicago, he was the third son of a renowned Jewish lawyer from the firm Sears, Roebuck & Company. His life oscillated between academic perfection and obsession with crime. Together they awakened the desire to commit a perfect crime.
Their relationship encouraged a feedback to feel superior to the rest. They felt themselves above good and evil, capable of lightly justifying any action committed to the detriment of others, who were inferior. This led them to devise an aberrant crime. And such was that feeling, that they did not care about murdering a 14-year-old relative.
Bobby Franks, Loeb’s second cousin, son of millionaires, was the perfect victim. With the excuse of showing him a tennis racket, they put him in Richard’s father’s car. As soon as he agreed, confident, they fainted him with blows to the head. They stuffed a cloth down his throat, which suffocated him, and they took him to a remote place where they threw hydrochloric acid in his face.
The disfigurement was such that several groups of doctors had to recognize it to determine if the body found was Bobby’s or not. With the boy already dead, they wrote a letter to his parents telling them that if they wanted to see him again, they should pay them $10,000. They assured his parents that he was alive and well.
In the letter, they said exactly where Bobby was, so the railroad workers found his body and their million-dollar rescue plan was thwarted. Since both were in the area on the day of the disappearance, the authorities took their statements. Although they did not suspect them. In any case, the inconsistency of their testimonies was such that little by little suspicions increased, and together with the statements of some witnesses, they were cornered until they confessed to the crime.
Even in confession, They justified themselves with such an air of superiority that it surprised everyone, including justice.. They were sentenced to life imprisonment with 99 years in prison. After a few years, Richard died in prison stabbed by another prisoner, while Leopold was released on parole after 35 years.
He emigrated to Puerto Rico and published his autobiography, started a family and spent the rest of his days studying birds and working in a hospital. He died in 1971 of a heart attack. According to him, Richard was his best friend and at the same time his worst enemy.
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
