Sunday, January 2, 2011

Jan. 2, 1800: First Recorded Murder Trial in the U.S.


On January 2, 1800, the body of Gulielma "Elma" Sands was recovered from the recently created Manhattan Well in Lispenard's Meadows (now located near the intersection of Greene and Spring Streets in SoHo) in New York City. Elma had last been seen leaving her boarding house on December 22, 1799. She told her cousin, Catherine Sands, that she had planned to secretly marry a young carpenter, Levi Weeks, that night.

Weeks was accused of the crime, which quickly gained notoriety as the Manhattan Well Murder. His brother, Ezra Weeks, a successful builder, helped secure a prominent legal team which included both future Vice President Aaron Burr and former first United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (who later famously dueled).

Despite witness testimony against him, Weeks was acquitted with a jury deliberation of only 5 minutes. The public strongly disagreed with the verdict, and Weeks was eventually forced to leave New York. He spent the rest of his life in Natchez, Mississippi, where he married and became a respected architect and builder.

READ MORE: Murder by Gaslight

IN PRINT: The Trial of Levi Weeks: Or The Manhattan Well Mystery

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