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Richard Hauptmann Research Paper

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“More than 4 percent of inmates sentenced to death in the United States are probably innocent” (McLaughlin). This means 96 percent of people on death row are guilty and Richard Hauptmann’s one of those 96 percent (Huffington 1). Richard Hauptmann was convicted in the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the 20 month old son of Charles Lindbergh. There was known to be up to 13 ransom notes left by Hauptmann that were identified as his handwriting. Each of them was asking for money until one told the family where the baby was located. In the 1930’s controversial court case of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the guilty verdict correctly prosecuted Richard Hauptmann of the kidnapping and murder of Charles Augustus. Lindbergh Jr because of the ladder in …show more content…

Some major evidence against Hauptmann included the testimony on the ladder found alongside the Lindbergh driveway that some how ended up in Hauptmann’s attic. A major piece of evidence that proved Hauptmann’s guilt included the ladder found by the police near the Lindbergh house. A convinces piece of evidence was, “Even more damning than the handwriting evidence was the testimony on the ladder found alongside the Lindbergh driveway.” (Lindbergh) That ladder further lead into much more evidence against Hauptmann. The ladder had been used to climb through the window and eventually kidnap the baby. The piece of evidence that confirmed this conclusion came from the wood of rail 16. They found a man who specialized with wood, “Arthur Koehler, a wood technologist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told how he had examined the ladder microscopically to determine its North Carolina pine origin. Then he traced the distinctive marks of its machine planing through mills to conclude that it had been processed in South Carolina, sold to a Bronx lumber company, and purchased by Hauptmann in December 1931. But one ladder rail was unlike the others..”(Richard) The ladder found by the Lindberg house had went through examination by Arthur

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