1st recorded murder trial

Description

The first recorded murder trial in America involved the disappearance and death of Gulielma “Elma” Sands in 1799. Elma Sands, the lover of a man named Levi Weeks, was found strangled and drowned at the bottom of the well in 1799.

Weeks, accused of the murder, was defended by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Despite strong evidence against him, Weeks was acquitted after just five minutes of jury deliberation. Supposedly, the cousin of Elma placed a curse on all in the courtroom that day.

The case became infamous, and many involved, including Hamilton, Burr, and Judge John Lansing, later faced tragic fates, leading to a belief in the curse. The well where Sands' body was found still exists under 129 Spring Street, New York.

Murdered, Dec 22, 1799

Factoids

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Burr and Alexander Hamilton represented a man accused of murdering his fiancée in SoHo and got him off the hook at the trial; according to the tale, after the verdict came down, the victim's cousin put a curse on the two of them.

Aaron Burr, the former vice president, is said to haunt NYC because he's just bitter. Some believe it is because he died a disgraced man for killing Hamilton in the famous duel that took place only a few years after the trial.

Judge Lansings, who presided over the trial, left for an errand and never returned or found.

Related People & Organizations

Alexander Hamilton,Ezra Weeks leveraged the murder's connections to Burr, through his Manhattan Company, which owned the well where Sands’ body was found. He died as a result of a duel with Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr,Ezra Weeks, Levi’s influential brother, leveraged his connections to Hamilton for the construction of his mansion. Burr was forever tainted by his shooting of Hamilton, tried for treason in 1807, lost his daughter in a hurricane, suffered a terrible stroke, and died penniless on Staten Island.

John Lansing Jr.,In spite of the considerable evidence implicating Weeks, Judge John Lansing, citing Hamilton and Burr’s vigorous defense, instructed the jury to find Weeks not guilty. They did so after a mere five minutes of deliberation. Judge Lansing disappeared one night after leaving his hotel, never to be seen or heard from again.

Related Sites

Manhattan Company is founded-Manhattan Company founded by Burr, owned the well where Sands’ body was found.

Images

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Images

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Drawings and documents

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First Murder Trial in the United States for which there is a Formal Record

1882

Aaron Burr's strategim at the Weeks [i.e. Levi Weeks] trial

1800

A full report of the trial of Levi Weeks

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