PBS To Release "American Experience : The Perfect Crime" on DVD in March

PBS Distribution announced today it will release“AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: THE PERFECT CRIME” on DVD. In 1924, the murder of a 14-year-old boy by two wealthy college students shocked the nation. But more horrifying than the brutal killing — the boy was bludgeoned to death — was the motive. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb admitted they planned to abduct and kill a child at random simply for the thrill of it. Legendary defense attorney Clarence Darrow summoned experts to show that the murderers had been shaped by childhood trauma and that it was society and its barbaric death penalty that deserved to be put on trial. Set in 1920s Chicago — a city of gin joints, gangsters, and political corruption — The Perfect Crime tells a story that set off a national debate about morality, individual responsibility, and capital punishment.

“AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: THE PERFECT CRIME” will be available on DVD March 22, 2016. The DVD run time is 60 minutes and the SRP is $24.99. The program will also be available for digital download.

Soon after a pair of eyeglasses found at the crime scene linked them to the murder, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb confessed to the killing. The prosecutor was convinced he had an open-and-shut case — a premeditated murder carried out in cold blood. He vowed that justice would come in the form of the death penalty. Suddenly, Leopold and Loeb were splashed across the front pages and the horror of the murder began to pale before the specter of the murderers: two arrogant young men in stylish suits, smoking cigarettes and chatting blithely with reporters about their killing of Bobby Franks.