Introduction

Criminologists estimate the true volume of crime—the “dark figure”—to be approximately four times the size of crime reported in official statistics. Most crime goes unrecorded, and criminologists know far more about the criminal behavior of the poor, uneducated, and young than they do about the crimes of the wealthy, educated, and powerful. Although the criminal genius is a cherished villain in history (e.g., Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, Theodore Kaczynski, and Caryl Chessman), literature (e.g., Raskolnikov, Professor Moriarty, and John Galt), and film (e.g., Hannibal Lecter, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Dr. Mabuse, and Ozymandias), little is actually known about the crimes of those possessing above-average IQ.

The Case of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold

America has lately been the scene of a murder, and a consequent trial, both of which were remarkable even for that land of sensations. The circumstances of the crime were quite out of the ordinary. The questions discussed at the trial were of the utmost psychological and medico-legal importance. The local newspaper reports, together with many other details, were sent to us through the kindness of Mr. Stephen M. Reynolds, of Chicago. We thus have information which few, if any, in this country possess. The actual trial lasted thirty-two days. The mere reading of the reports was a heavy task. We then had to separate from the mass of journalism those points in the evidence which might be taken as established. And we think that a summary thereof may be of general interest.