Forensic Biology ť Articles ť Trials of the Century / Mock Trialť "The State of New Jersey vs. Bruno Hauptmann"

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Articles ť Trials of the Century / Mock Trial

The State of New Jersey vs. Bruno Hauptmann

Maggie Disla

Miss Villani's ninth period class concluded its trial today against Bruno Hauptmann for the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, with the honorable judge Danielle Banks presiding.

The prosecution team headed by Christina Lee and Peter Lee called an impressive group of witnesses, as did the defense team headed by Alejandro Cruz and Mark Epelbaum. The following information was revealed during the trial:
"At the Lindbergh home in Hopewell, N.J, on the night of March 1, 1932, the kidnapper of the Lindbergh baby climbed up a ladder into the second-story nursery and left a ransom note demanding $50,000. After various efforts at communication through newspaper advertisements, a go-between-a retired New York teacher named John F. Condon-delivered the ransom on the night of April 8th at the Woodland Cemetery in the Bronx, NYC, on a promise of the return of the baby. The baby, however, had been killed shortly after the abduction; and its body was found on May 12th near the Lindbergh home.
A manhunt ensued, and the serial numbers of the ransom bills (many in noticeable gold certificates) were publicized. On September 15, 1934, more than two years later, Hauptmann passed one of the notes at the Bronx filling station. He was arrested, and a large stash of ransom money (the amount is disputed but was more than $11, 000) was found in his house.

The chief evidences against Hauptmann were (1) the recovered money, (2) the discovery of go-between Condon's telephone number on a closet wall on Hauptmann's home, (3) the identification of Hauptmann by witnesses who professed seeing him near the Lindbergh home or in the cemetery, and (4) the discovery that the ladder used in the kidnapping had been mended with a missing plank from Hauptmann's attic. Hauptmann countered that he had merely held the money for a friend, one Isidore Fisch, who had returned to Germany in 1933 and died there."

After much deliberation, the jurors headed by Yahaira Nunez found Bruno Hauptmann not guilty of kidnapping and not guilty of first degree murder. This was a devastating blow for the prosecution. " We had a kitten in our hands and we let him go" stated the prosecution attorney Peter Lee. " We plan to appeal the jury's decision" stated Christina Lee, the lead prosecuting attorney.

Note: When the trial actually took place in 1932 - 35 "Hauptmann was convicted and electrocuted in the New Jersey State Prison-to the end claiming his innocence".