Trial/Sentence
Americas most famous defense attorney Clarence Darrow (67 years old) had been hired by the parents of the boys for $100,000 and this case was heard by judge John R. Caverly from the Cook Circuit Court. People claimed that the boys constantly clowned around and fooled around in the court room, photographers frequently snapped pictures of the boys smirking and laughing. Darrow had pulled every last trick in the book but claimed the boys to be insane; he had said that Leopold was schizophrenic and that they weren't criminals, they couldn't help themselves! At this point in the trial Clarence Darrow began to describe a detailed description of what would happen to the men when they would be hung, providing graphic image of bodily functions and physical pain. People observed Loeb to shudder and Leopold got so hysterical that he had to be taken out of the court room. When this happened Darrow then began to weep for the defendants for Bobby Franks and for the victims everywhere. Clarence knew that the best possible verdict would be life in prison and most people expected the men to plead not guilty by reason of insanity but Clarence advised the men to plead guilty to avoid a trial by jury which would end in a conviction of death penalty. The boys were given life in prison for the murder of Bobby Franks and an additional 99 years for his kidnapping; they were convicted to prison because being under 21, the boys were only minors. After the whole trial was said and done, Clarence only received $40,000 of his fee from the clients and that was only after he threatened to sue them.
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