10 Murder Cases Verdicts That Divided a Nation

10 Murder Cases & Verdicts That Divided a Nation

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most divisive murder cases that tend to spark disagreements and arguments.

Lyle & Erik Menéndez

The question isn’t whether Lyle and Erik Menéndez killed their parents. That much is a given. The question is whether the killings were justified, and it’s here where people tend to diverge. The brothers committed the crime on August 20, 1989, and when put on trial, they claimed that they had suffered horrible abuse at the hands of their parents. The defense claimed that the killings were performed out of fear and revenge, while the prosecution argued that they had financial motives. The mixed public perception was mirrored in the two juries, who came back deadlocked and without a verdict. It wasn’t until the second trial, when the brothers’ abuse claims were severely limited, that they were found guilty and imprisoned.

The Killing of Johnny Stompanato

Lana Turner is an icon of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and she also had a very public relationship with Johnny Stompanato, the famous enforcer of gangster Mickey Cohen. He was known to be abusive towards Turner, and on April 4, 1958, he was stabbed and killed by Turner’s daughter Cheryl Crane in an act of self-defense. While Crane was exonerated, public opinion was and remains divided. The press fiercely criticized Turner’s performative behavior during the trial, and she later settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought on by Stompanato’s ex-wife. A conspiracy theory has also grown in recent years claiming that it was Turner herself who stabbed Stompanato and that Crane took the blame to protect her mother’s reputation.

Steven Avery & Brendan Dassey

The story of Steven Avery and his young nephew Brendan Dassey earned widespread attention through the Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer.” The show was a pop culture sensation, with viewers engaging in fierce debate and discussing the merits of their imprisonment. Both men were allegedly involved in the murder of Teresa Halbach, and both were sentenced to life in prison. However, many aspects of the case, including Dassey’s coerced confession and the potential for police misconduct, have raised some major quandaries and brought their guilt into question. The case has become emblematic of concerns over wrongful convictions, abuses of power, and the treatment of vulnerable defendants in the legal system.

Michael Peterson

One of the most infamous and debated criminal cases in recent American history began on December 9, 2001. That night, Peterson called 911, saying that he had found his wife Kathleen at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious and covered in blood. He claimed she had fallen after drinking alcohol and taking Valium. However, authorities were suspicious due to the extensive amount of blood found at the scene and Kathleen’s severe injuries, which they argued were inconsistent with a simple fall. Peterson was found guilty of murdering his wife but was released in 2017. Kathleen’s true cause of death remains a point of fierce debate, and some serious issues with the forensic evidence have been raised, casting further doubt on Peterson’s presumed guilt.

Caylee & Casey Anthony

One of the first trials of the social media age, the death of Caylee Anthony has sown incredible division. Many people believe that Caylee was murdered by her mother, Casey Anthony, supposedly to free her from the obligations of motherhood. The defense claims that Caylee drowned in the family pool and that her grandfather helped cover it up. The case became a media circus and Casey was ultimately acquitted, upsetting many. The verdict had hinged entirely on reasonable doubt, as the prosecution could not definitively prove how Caylee died or that Casey was responsible. Many believe that Casey got away with murder, while others argue that the jury made the correct legal decision based on the evidence presented.

The Death of Hae Min Lee

“Serial” was one of the first big true crime podcasts, telling the captivating story of Hae Min Lee. Lee was a high school student who was found dead in Baltimore’s Leakin Park, about a month after she was reported missing. Lee’s ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was charged with her murder. The prosecution relied heavily on the word of Jay Wilds, a friend of Syed who claimed that Syed killed her and that he helped him bury the body. However, his and other witness testimonies have been heavily questioned and scrutinized. Syed has also been bounced around the legal system; his conviction was vacated in 2022 owing to new evidence, but it was officially reinstated just a few months later. This is a confusing one.

Lizzie Borden

An enormously popular story from turn-of-the-century America, the tale of Lizzie Borden has endured in folk rhymes, literature, and film. On the morning of August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were found brutally murdered in their Massachusetts home. Suspicion immediately fell on Lizzie and she was arrested just a few days later. However, she was eventually acquitted because much of the evidence was circumstantial, and the murderer never faced justice. However, Lizzie never shed her cloud of supposed guilt, and she was ostracized by the community in which she lived. Ultimately, while Borden remains the prime suspect in public perception, the lack of concrete evidence and the ambiguities surrounding the case allows it to live in infamy.

Sam Sheppard

On July 4, 1954, the Sheppard home was seemingly invaded by an intruder, who bludgeoned Marilyn Sheppard to death in her bed. Her husband Sam was charged with her murder, and while the defense went with the mysterious intruder angle, the jury was not convinced and he was found guilty of killing his wife. But in 1964, after serving nearly a decade in prison, Sheppard’s conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court, who criticized the “carnival atmosphere” of the trial and a biased judge. While the prevailing view supports Sheppard's innocence following his acquittal, there still remains a segment of the population that believes he may have been involved. This is largely owing to some inconsistencies in his testimony and various pieces of circumstantial evidence.

The Lindbergh Kidnapping

Famously called “the biggest story since the Resurrection,” the Lindbergh kidnapping occurred on March 1, 1932, when young Charles Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped from his home and murdered. The finger was pointed squarely at a German immigrant named Bruno Hauptmann, who was charged with the crime and ultimately executed following a highly publicized trial. However, he professed his innocence until his death, and many modern scholars have brought his guilt into serious question. The case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence and unreliable witness testimonies and many have criticized both the prosecution’s misleading tactics and the media’s influence on the proceedings.

O.J. Simpson

There are media circuses, and then there’s the O.J. Simpson trial. Arguably the biggest cultural event of the ‘90s, Simpson was charged but ultimately acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. There are many arguments for his guilt, including a revenge motive and pieces of physical evidence. But the trial was ultimately tarnished with police misconduct, racial biases, and a flawed prosecution. Opinions on Simpson’s guilt are influenced not only by the evidence but also by individual perspectives on larger issues like race and police conduct. Division continues along these lines - according to a 2015 poll from ABC News and The Washington Post, 83% of white people believe that Simpson is guilty, compared to just 57% of Black people.

What are your opinions on these cases? Let us know in the comments below!