Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were two Chicago teens that kidnapped and murdered a fourteen year old boy in 1924. The two were very intelligent, wealthy boys in a sexual relationship. The motives for the murder are not completely clear, but it does seem that Loeb had always been fascinated by crime and wanted to commit the perfect crime. Leopold may have suggested that they commit the murder to please Loeb and bring the two closer together. They kidnapped and killed another well-off boy that they knew and attempted to get a ransom out of his parents before the body was discovered. The two were only implicated in the crime because Leopold had dropped his glasses near the body. They eventually confessed, (though they both maintained that the other one did the actual killing) and the "trial of the century" was the sentencing. They were spared the death penalty and given life in prison. Loeb was killed in prison in 1936, while Leopold spent 34 years behind bars, studying and working. He was eventually paroled and lived out the rest of his life as a professor in Puerto Rico. The famous litigator, Clarence Darrow defended the pair at their sentencing.
Appearance in the Novel: 160
Source(s):http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/leoploeb/leopold.htm
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