University Archives News

Leigh Bienen on Homicide: Murder Clues in NU Archives

​A Senior Lecturer at the Northwestern University School of Law, Leigh Bienen is also an expert on the subject of homicide. Her book Crimes of the Century (co-authored with Gilbert Geis) examines five famous 20th century murder cases including the Lindbergh kidnapping, the O.J. Simpson case, and the shocking murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. The book was partially researched in Northwestern’s University Archives, which houses the original ransom note the murderers sent Bobby Franks’s parents, as well as other primary sources. In an interview with the Library, Professor Bienen explained why this case is considered one of the “crimes of the century.”

Hear the full audio interview in mp3 format:
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Leigh Bienen is also the creator of the Chicago Historical Homicide Website, a searchable database of murder cases in Chicago from 1870-1930.

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