On Trial for Murder: America’s Most Famous Murder Trials takes you inside the courtrooms and uncovers the stories of 10 of the most well-known trials since the turn of the 20th century. For this riveting foray into criminal law, your guide is Professor Douglas O. Linder, the Elmer Powell Peer Professor of Law at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law and creator of the Famous Trials website.
On Trial for Murder: America’s Most Famous Murder Trials
Take a deep dive into 10 infamous “trials of the century” with one of America’s premier legal experts.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Thanuja from
Interesting course!
This is an interesting course about crimes, people, court systems and murder trials. Since the most of the cases described in the course are notorious and famous at the same time, many films, documentaries, TV shows and books written around them. But professor has put an academic spin on it for our TGC viewers and students to re-examine the story.
Thanks TGC to produce this one. I really enjoyed this one!
Date published: 2025-04-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Blue knight 121 from
I enjoyed the series
This series was very interesting. It dispelled some of my impression I initially had from watching the media stories during the time of the trials, such as the Amanda Knox story.
I highly recommend this series. It demonstrates how easy someone could be wrongly convicted and how the real murderer can escape justice.
Date published: 2025-03-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Mlewis from
Very fun
While most Americans know something about the majority of these cases, the professor presents the timelines, investigations, and ramifications in a clear manner, with the occasional,”Aren’t people unbelievable?” smile that I found endearing — and appropriate.
Date published: 2025-02-25
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Art123 from
Interesting Cases but a lot of Sensationalism
I was interested in learning about the various trials, but I feel that the lectures sometimes veered into a Docu-Drama style treatment. The tone was more like "60 Minutes" than this same lecturer's "Great Trials of World History". The more lurid aspects of the actual murders get a lot of attention. Eight of the 10 cases had some sexual element in the circumstances around the murder, which is rather surprising given the framing of the course. Also, many of the cases suggest alternate suspects to the actual persons put on trial; these suspects have varying degrees of probability, ranging from probable to wild guesses.
I don't unreservedly recommend the course, but it did have some education value. The selection of cases was good with all of the trials having at least some historical importance. This is an "Edutainment" production, and the buyer should be aware of that before purchasing the course.
Date published: 2025-02-22
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Anonymous Reviewer from
Could Have Been Less Dramatic
The course was good in the sense of it delivered what it said it would, but I believe that for something to have to do with court and law, it could have been more factual and less exaggerated. The lecturer gave the information about the case, but it was made more "enticing" for people to watch this course. What could have made it better is if the different law aspects were explained more and the sentimental, humanitarian rights aspects were a bit less than in your face. As I said, the course did give what the title suggests, it just could have been more straightforward and factual.
Date published: 2025-02-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Cousindrew from
Excellent Course!
This is Prof. Linder's third course for the Great Courses, and he again does an outstanding job of selecting, examining, and presenting interesting trials over the past 100 years. This time he has identified ten famous murder trials, nine from the US and one from Italy (involving American Amanda Knox). Prof. Linder has a very easy lecture style. He remains seated throughout and has the feel of a kindly old uncle, but one with a successful trial lawyer's ability to tell a captivating tale. I found myself bingeing on these lectures, eager to watch the next one as soon as I finished the one before. I think lawyers and non-lawyers alike will find much to enjoy in these lectures. Highly recommended!
Date published: 2025-02-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
the professor from
Mystery Murders to Ponder
Douglas O. Linder, JD., delivers a very captivating 10 lecture course on some of America's most intriguing murders. The professor is an accomplished lawyer, who presents the course very similar to television TV murder mystery investigations. Mr Linder is very engaging and enjoyable, and presents the very detail rich case analysis in a slow deliberate style that made complex legal concepts accessible and easy to follow. His smooth delivery is captivating which provides the learner with both a very enjoyable and informative lecture. Each lecture was a delightful listening experience, combing both entertainment with education. This is the perfect course for working out on a treadmill, traveling or just relaxing. Most of the lecture cases were new to this learner, but the Amanda Knox trial in Italy, Dr. Sam Sheppard, and the chilling Emmett Till murder case definitely provided new rich detail. I greatly enjoyed the course and Professor Linder, and highly recommend this course.
Date published: 2025-02-02
Rated 4 out of
5
by
usarkurtmdvienna from
Prof.Linder delivers again
While not as captivating and profound as his other two courses, whom I rank amongst my favorites,the professor again succeeds in a difficult task : smooth delivery, comparatively easy to follow yet with high erudition...the murder trials which he concentrates upon in this course most surely are not milestones like the different trials he focussed upon in his other courses..yet,they once again concentrate upon and highlight in a very compact,captivating and not to graphic manner on hair-raising micarriages of justice, trials who show racism and even lynchings after acquittal and in a time,where this to me as a non-US citizen most certainly was extremely shocking- the course starts at about 1900. Having now all but finished the course I think I can heartily recommend it : its once again an enlightening while-dare I say it with such a subject matter- entertaining experience..the very pleasant voice of the professor is also a plus. That some of the episodes run for only about 27 minutes is a bit of a nuisance,they at times seem a little compressed,but thats a minor matter. The visuals are also good and not so scarce as in other recent courses...Well done and thanks!
Date published: 2025-02-01
Overview Course No. 30720
About
Douglas O. Linder is the Elmer Powell Peer Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law. He received his JD from Stanford Law School. For more than two decades, he has taught a seminar in famous trials using materials published on his Famous Trials website. The site is the internet’s largest and most visited collection of original writings, images, and primary documents relating to famous trials. He has published extensively on a variety of legal topics and has appeared in televised documentaries and interviews about great trials.
Trailer
01: Murder at Madison Square Garden
Step back to the Gilded Age in New York City, to a night in 1906 at Madison Square Garden, when millionaire Harry Thaw murdered the man who defiled his wife, starlet Evelyn Nesbit, years earlier. What appears to be a clearcut case of cold-blooded murder devolved into a sensational trial over the novel “insanity defense.”
36 min
02: “Their Cause Is Just”: The Haywood Trial
Your next stop is Western Idaho, where class conflicts between the miners’ union and the government turned deadly when a planted bomb killed former governor Frank Steunenberg. When Pinkerton investigator James McParland extracted a confession from the bomber, the stage was set to put union leader William “Big Bill” Haywood on trial.
31 min
03: Leo Frank and the Mary Phagan Murder
Travel south to Atlanta, where in 1913 Jewish businessman Leo Frank went on trial for allegedly murdering a teenage girl in his factory. Complicating the narrative was an eyewitness who changed his story, as well as investigators plagued by confirmation bias, and Southern racial dynamics that made an honest trial all but impossible.
27 min
04: Sacco and Vanzetti: Anarchists on Trial
Do juries always get it right? Can public opinion sway the results? The infamous Sacco and Vanzetti trial over a deadly robbery brings these questions to the fore. This lecture takes you into the tumultuous 1920s, where issues of social class, race, and xenophobia created a spectacle around the trial of two Italian Americans.
28 min
05: The “Flower Moon” Killings
Not all crimes are solved. The death of numerous Osage tribe members in Oklahoma—known today as the “Killings of the Flower Moon”—continues to captivate our imaginations. Dive into a world of oil money, inheritance, and mass murder with this survey of just one investigation into a sequence of homicides.
27 min
06: Murder in Honolulu: The Massie Affair
A woman alleges that she was assaulted on her way home one night, but the story of a gang assault doesn’t add up. Then, a murder committed out of vengeance. Delve into a three-act story of Tommie Massie, his wife Thalia, and the last chapter in the courtroom career of Clarence Darrow, “America’s greatest defense attorney,” that changed the politics of Hawaii forever.
33 min
07: Murder in Mississippi: The Emmett Till Case
The murder of Emmett Till in 1955 is one of the most famous in American history. In this lecture, uncover what we know about the murder—including recent revelations—and the trial of his killers. See how this brutal crime shocked the nation, galvanized the civil rights movement, and exposed the violent racial prejudice in the South.
29 min
08: Truth and Fiction: The Dr. Sam Sheppard Case
In this survey of the Dr. Sam Shepherd case, explore the relationship between mass media and due process. Shepherd, who was accused of killing his wife, was the victim of media sensationalism and a muddled investigation. Learn the truth about a case that continues to intrigue the public, after it served as an inspiration for Hollywood’s The Fugitive.
34 min
09: Panic in Arkansas: The West Memphis Three
We’ve seen how public hysteria can shape the wheels of justice. Now, turn to the story of “The West Memphis Three,” a trio of teenagers wrongly convicted of brutal child murders during the “satanic panic’ of the 1990s. Find out how coerced confessions and flimsy evidence led to years of wrongful imprisonment.
33 min
10: The Public Trial of Amanda Knox
Round out this course with the trial of an American citizen abroad. In 2007, college-aged Amanda Knox was accused of murdering her roommate in Italy. Her conviction and eventual acquittal shed light on how cultural misunderstanding, media distortions, and systemic failures can have grave repercussions in a high-profile case.
32 min
