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Who Killed the Lindbergh Baby?

Ludovic Kennedy looks at the evidence for the guilt of Richard Hauptmann who was convicted for the murder of American aviator Charles Lindbergh's baby. (1982)

On March 1932, the baby son of American aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped from his home near Hopewell, New Jersey. Four years later a German immigrant carpenter, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, was convicted of the murder of the baby and died in the electric chair.

The Lindbergh Kidnapping was at the time the ‘Trial of the Century’, a worldwide sensation that inspired many films and books over the years, including Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.

But doubts have existed from the beginning about the guilt of Hauptmann. In 1982, with new evidence, his 83-year-old widow reopened the case and sued the State of New Jersey for the wrongful execution of her husband, but her claim was dismissed.

Ludovic Kennedy looks at the evidence only recently made public and shows that doubts are now more than ever justified. (1982)

1 hour, 5 minutes

About ´óÏó´«Ã½ Four Collection programmes

Programmes are selected, in part, for their historical context and reflect the broadcast standards and attitudes of their time, which may not accord to some current ´óÏó´«Ã½ editorial guidelines. We aim to select programmes which can be shown in their entirety but in some cases edits are required.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Ludovic Kennedy
Producer Sue Crowther
Film Editor Howard Billingham

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