It is a repeated scenario in American Law. A high-risk criminal is arrested, tried, and found guilty. All for a minute crime that is not the charge they should be held responsible for. This is exactly what happened in the case of H.H. Holmes all the way back in 1895. Herman Webster Mudgett, alias Dr. H.H. Holmes, was a serial killer who terrorized Chicago in the early 1890’s. What did he get arrested for? Fraud. What can be learned from cases like the one surrounding Holmes? Is it possible to nail the heavy charges first? What kind of society do we live in if a serial killer has to be arrested on fraud charges before anyone is aware of the appalling number of murders he committed? At the time of his confession, Holmes admitted to the murders …show more content…
Homicide rates were high in 1890 and continued to climb on throughout the decade. Why was this? Increase in population? This was a “boom” time for Chicago. Was it the changes in technology? Just the people in the time? While that is rather uncertain; it is plainly evident that Chicago was undergoing a citywide murder crisis.
If we take a leap forward to 1931 we will see a trial of a man named Al Capone. Mr. Capone was brought in on charges of tax evasion. Sounds pretty low-key correct? False. Al Capone was one of the most involved mafia leaders during the Prohibition Era. What charges should he have faced? Bootlegging, extortion, and murder. It is entirely easy to see that these charges are once again meek compared to the greater charges that would not yet be brought
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Yes, he was worth quite a lump sum of money (approximately thirty million dollars). However, is that the only solid charge the courts had against him? That is a blow to the Justice System. How can such a large criminal only be brought down with petty charges? What can be done to fix that? How does such a well-known criminal only become seen for a crime that absolutely pales in comparison to the countless others he personally committed or was fully in the know of? How is that even close to being okay with the people of America? Why do we let criminals have so much slack? Is there any reason that is