Which crime case will be remembered in 100 years time?

[kangaroo_Matlock]

To me a case has to go beyond a tragic outcome. It has to be a "big picture" case that says something about the country it's in. In my opinion I can only think of one case that did that more than all others:

The case of Alex Murdaugh murdering his family members. [Note I am ignoring for this discussion his financial crimes which were also extremely serious].

Now the pure numbers don't stand out. Two victims. But the bigger picture was mind-blowing. There's a psychologist on YouTube [Dr John on Hidden Crime?] who made a video about the generational trauma of the Murdaugh dynasty, going back about 100 years, and how that contributed toward Alex Murdaugh doing his evil act. This case truly goes beyond all reductionist attempts to just describe the murders.

Alex Murdaugh also had a fall that was Shakespearean. He had everything. Money. Power. Land. Respect. He was in that part of America like King Lear. Yet he threw it all away.

Then we have the actual trial which I say even from my timezone I watched every minute of. I've stayed up till ludicrous hours with some trials that were real squibs. But this one. It was a banger. Outstanding lawyering. Great real time coverage. Some jaw dropping moments like when Alex Murdaugh had to admit on the stand that he had lied about where he was; He had said he was not near the barns when the murders happened. But he had to admit it with no hedging: he was right there at that time. He had no way of arguing that against clear phone evidence.

Then there was the closing part after the jury found him guilty. The judge said to him it could have been a death penalty trial and you will have to live with the faces of the people you murdered. Then the sentencing when people who supported him said "how could you do this Alex? If it was about money we would have given you money" and for a moment all the lies and the facade vanished and you saw Alex Murdaugh crack into pieces. Just for a moment his facade vanished.

This was like some dynastic trilogy of novels. I could imagine a Barbara Cartland styled writer creating it. But here we had it for real. It was bigger than its crimes. It was about how one dynasty could have so much power over a whole town in the US. As the trial happened Alex Murdaugh could look up at one of his law firm ancestors, their portrait hung in the court room. You could not make this stuff up. You could not write a soap like this. Dynasty, Dallas or Falcon Crest never reached this level.

I have to nominate this as in my opinion being the crime that will still be remembered in 100 years time. I can see Alex Murdaugh becoming one of those quasi-mythologized historical crime figures. Like Billy the Kid or The Godfather.

 

[crazychris]

Madeleine McCanns disappearance, especially if it's not solved..

 

[Inthedetails]

Sandy Hook and school shootings in general. I hope future generations look bad in horror and wonder why they kept happening, especially after Sandy Hook.

 

[DustysMom]

The murder of professor Dan Markel - orchestrated by his ex-wife’s family - for the purpose of moving the children from Tallahassee to Miami.
The Adelsons had everything- social standing, money, higher education, a lucrative dental practice and threw it all away in a harebrained scheme.
Dan Markel - charismatic friend, stellar legal mind and ultra devoted father
Wendi Adelson - Dan’s ex-wife and lawyer who wrote a book about their relationship while still married
Ben & Lincoln - their 2 children, middle school aged at the time of Dan’s murder
Donna Adelson- Wendi’s over involved Mother
Harvey Adelson - Donna’s husband, dentist
Charlie Adelson - Peridontist and part of Harvey’s dental practice, self proclaimed playboy with penchant for sports cars,
calls himself the Maestro
Robert Adelson - also a Dr, estranged from the other Adelsons, lives out of state with his Dr wife and their children (Donna and Harvey successfully broke up that relationship threatening to disown him because his GF was not Jewish. Fortunately, they got back together.)
Katie Macbanua - Charlie’s GF who received payroll checks from the Adelson dental office while she didn’t work there
Sigfredo Garcia - Katie’s baby daddy of 2 children. He committed the murder of Dan Markel, along with his friend and Latin King gang member, Luis Rivera.
To date, Luis, Sigfrado, Katie and Charlie have been convicted and Donna is awaiting trial.
The arrogance and entitlement surrounding this case are jaw dropping.

 

[Coppertop15]

JonBenet Ramsey. Everyone is still arguing.

 

[Cedars]

JonBenet Ramsey. Everyone is still arguing.

However, that was a 1990s crime, so I think it applies to the previous century.

Also, technically, does Columbine, which IMO is the 'definitive' school shooting that really rocked society, and set the pattern for all the others.

I mean, what can ever top the 20th century with Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, the kidnapping of the Lindburgh baby (at the time the most celebrated man in the US)?

I nominate 9/11, but maybe people don't see it as a crime.

The killing of George Floyd and the meteoric rise and fall of the crypto kid, Sam Bankman-Fried, seem to me widely memorable.

I think everyone will continue to remember/know about Scott Peterson, because of the spectacular (from the news media point of view) and sudden appearance of Amber Heard. And the phenomenon of ordinary men killing their wives has become, as a result, accepted as pretty common, whereas back in the day it was seen as unlikely.

I agree about Maddie McCann, though it just can't top Jon Benet.

I agree that Murdaugh is fascinating, but IMO fictional characters, such as Walter White in Breaking Bad, Tony Soprano, etc. will continue to be far more memorable than any real life versions, which to most people seem watered-down in comparison.

JMO

 

[Vaderman]

Sandy Hook and school shootings in general. I hope future generations look bad in horror and wonder why they kept happening, especially after Sandy Hook.

The Las Vegas concert shooting especially for me, due to the sheer number of victims and the lack of answers to "why".

 

[detective.moon]

my first thought was columbine too.

i also feel like luigi mangione could be discussed in history class, talking about broader themes then just the crime itself (health care in the 21st century, why did some people support him, a society that’s divided over politics)

eta: i could see a history teacher talking about epstein, diddy, harvey weinstein etc too! because it’s also about broader themes

 

[na19]

idaho 4
sandy hook
jonbenet ramsey
caylee anthony

 

[PeregrineFalcon]

idaho 4
sandy hook
jonbenet ramsey
caylee anthony

Jonbenet and Caylee for sure. Those are my 2 top picks.

 

[Dotta]

Texas, Uvalde, school massacre

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. It's been 50 years, and the case remains unsolved.

MI Post in thread 'MI - James 'Jimmy' Hoffa, 62, Bloomfield Hills, 30 July 1975'

Jul 31, 2025

DH and I watched the entire documentary and were not particularly impressed.

Watch: Full documentary on Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance, new theories, 50 years later

Fifty years ago, Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa disappeared.

www.clickondetroit.com

• BetteDavisEyes

• 

 

[oceanwatch]

JonBenet’s is the one that people have stayed passionate about the most, imo. Today is her 35th birthday. Time goes so fast.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1954104966613749768

 

[cenazoic]

I have to nominate this as in my opinion being the crime that will still be remembered in 100 years time. I can see Alex Murdaugh becoming one of those quasi-mythologized historical crime figures.

While I definitely appreciate your eloquent argument for the Murdaugh murders, I disagree, primarily because a) Alex M isn’t “sexy”, b) there’s no mystery, and c) it was an awful crime committed by a small man for small reasons.

For pre-21st-century crimes, obviously Jack the Ripper is still going strong after 130+ years, the Lindbergh kidnapping is still getting books written after almost a hundred, and the JFK assassination and Zodiac are coming upon 50-60+ years. JonBenet, coming up on 30, will likely go the distance.

If you’re only talking about 21st-century crimes, that’s a tough question because nothing’s immediately coming to mind!

I think the common denominator is mystery: something about a case that lends itself to all sorts of reasonable speculation and often, conspiracy theories.

 

[kangaroo_Matlock]

While I definitely appreciate your eloquent argument for the Murdaugh murders, I disagree, primarily because a) Alex M isn’t “sexy”, b) there’s no mystery, and c) it was an awful crime committed by a small man for small reasons.

For pre-21st-century crimes, obviously Jack the Ripper is still going strong after 130+ years, the Lindbergh kidnapping is still getting books written after almost a hundred, and the JFK assassination and Zodiac are coming upon 50-60+ years. JonBenet, coming up on 30, will likely go the distance.

If you’re only talking about 21st-century crimes, that’s a tough question because nothing’s immediately coming to mind!

I think the common denominator is mystery: something about a case that lends itself to all sorts of reasonable speculation and often, conspiracy theories.

I disagree. There is a lot of mystery in the Alex Murdaugh case. It's related "boat case". The housekeeper who died falling down the stairs [pushed?] that allowed Alex to make an insurance claim. Then there's the psychology of the case that's discussed by Dr John Matthias: Alex's father, the patriarch of the legal dynasty, being hit by a train while driving. Matthias discusses the psychology of it being a "deliberate sacrifice" to bring his family compensation and it leading to the related sacrificial motivation of Alex Murdaugh doing the murders to get rid of Paul.

There is a LOT of meat in this case. I might be the only person in my Australian timezone who was quasi masochistic enough to watch the entire trial. I also disagree that Alex Murdaugh isn't sexy/exciting. Someone who had it all and lost it in a Shakespearean fall? That's sexy to me!

 

[Nieves]

To me a case has to go beyond a tragic outcome. It has to be a "big picture" case that says something about the country it's in. In my opinion I can only think of one case that did that more than all others:

The case of Alex Murdaugh murdering his family members. [Note I am ignoring for this discussion his financial crimes which were also extremely serious].

Now the pure numbers don't stand out. Two victims. But the bigger picture was mind-blowing. There's a psychologist on YouTube [Dr John on Hidden Crime?] who made a video about the generational trauma of the Murdaugh dynasty, going back about 100 years, and how that contributed toward Alex Murdaugh doing his evil act. This case truly goes beyond all reductionist attempts to just describe the murders.

Alex Murdaugh also had a fall that was Shakespearean. He had everything. Money. Power. Land. Respect. He was in that part of America like King Lear. Yet he threw it all away.

Then we have the actual trial which I say even from my timezone I watched every minute of. I've stayed up till ludicrous hours with some trials that were real squibs. But this one. It was a banger. Outstanding lawyering. Great real time coverage. Some jaw dropping moments like when Alex Murdaugh had to admit on the stand that he had lied about where he was; He had said he was not near the barns when the murders happened. But he had to admit it with no hedging: he was right there at that time. He had no way of arguing that against clear phone evidence.

Then there was the closing part after the jury found him guilty. The judge said to him it could have been a death penalty trial and you will have to live with the faces of the people you murdered. Then the sentencing when people who supported him said "how could you do this Alex? If it was about money we would have given you money" and for a moment all the lies and the facade vanished and you saw Alex Murdaugh crack into pieces. Just for a moment his facade vanished.

This was like some dynastic trilogy of novels. I could imagine a Barbara Cartland styled writer creating it. But here we had it for real. It was bigger than its crimes. It was about how one dynasty could have so much power over a whole town in the US. As the trial happened Alex Murdaugh could look up at one of his law firm ancestors, their portrait hung in the court room. You could not make this stuff up. You could not write a soap like this. Dynasty, Dallas or Falcon Crest never reached this level.

I have to nominate this as in my opinion being the crime that will still be remembered in 100 years time. I can see Alex Murdaugh becoming one of those quasi-mythologized historical crime figures. Like Billy the Kid or The Godfather.

I think it is a crime that should be analyzed in criminology and forensic studies courses.

 

[Nieves]

I disagree. There is a lot of mystery in the Alex Murdaugh case. It's related "boat case". The housekeeper who died falling down the stairs [pushed?] that allowed Alex to make an insurance claim. Then there's the psychology of the case that's discussed by Dr John Matthias: Alex's father, the patriarch of the legal dynasty, being hit by a train while driving. Matthias discusses the psychology of it being a "deliberate sacrifice" to bring his family compensation and it leading to the related sacrificial motivation of Alex Murdaugh doing the murders to get rid of Paul.

There is a LOT of meat in this case. I might be the only person in my Australian timezone who was quasi masochistic enough to watch the entire trial. I also disagree that Alex Murdaugh isn't sexy/exciting. Someone who had it all and lost it in a Shakespearean fall? That's sexy to me!

I think the man I won't mention is an example of a very "well-rounded" criminal. Killing a family, defrauding insurance companies and policyholders, and also being a lawyer belonging to a family that historically served? justice—it's a combination of crimes you don't find every day in the same person. Or who knows?

 

[Nieves]

The Gilgo Beach killer is going to be part of historical criminals. My opinion.

 

[browneyes]

Madeline McCann
Idaho 4
OJ
Murdaugh murders
JBR

In no particular order.