Leopold and Loeb: Biography, Achievements & Lasting Legacy

Nathan Freudenthal Leopold Jr. (November 19, 1904 – August 29, 1971) and Richard Albert Loeb ( ; June 11, 1905 – January 28, 1936), together known as Leopold and Loeb, were two American murderers who kidnapped and killed 14-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago, Illinois, United States, on May 21, 1924.

Leopold and Loeb, both students at the University of Chicago, were respectively aged 19 and 18 and were engaged in a relationship at the time of their crime. They committed the murder – characterized at the time as "the crime of the century" – hoping to demonstrate superior intellect, which they believed enabled and entitled them to carry out a "perfect crime" without consequences.

Leopold's and Loeb's families retained Clarence Darrow as lead counsel for their defense. Darrow's eight-hour summation at their sentencing hearing is noted for its influential criticism of capital punishment as retributive rather than transformative justice. Both men were sentenced to life imprisonment plus 99 years. Loeb was murdered by a fellow prisoner in 1936. Leopold was released on parole in 1958. The case has since served as the inspiration for several dramatic works.