Levi Weeks

A young woman named Elma Sands had been missing for 10 days.

She was supposed to be married to a man named Levi Weeks.

And...

He was like, I just don't know where she is.

I don't know.

Now, the very first murder trial that's ever happened, so the very first person that was ever tried for murder, was a guy named Levi Weeks, and that happened in the year 1800 in New York.

He strangled a woman and chucked her down a well.

So the

people versus Levi Weeks was the very first murder trial.

Found guilty.

I mean, you know, why wouldn't you be? We all saw you choke that lady and throw her down a fucking well, man.

For by this time there was an accused.

On January 6th, the grand jury brought in a verdict of, quote, murder by a person or persons unknown, end quote, and four days later indicted Levi Weeks, a young builder and carpenter of excellent character and standing, as the murderer.

Weeks was the popular selection, and suspicion had turned toward him with some reason.

He had been the girl's lover, very intimate with her, as appeared by the testimony, where it was also in evidence that he was not the only fortunate person in this respect.

End footnote.

Yet however strange goblins and ghosts may appear to us as a means of directing popular anger against a man accused of murder, they had, so far as we can judge, an immense effect in the city of New York in the year 1800.

So far as the people were concerned, Levi Weeks was tried and found guilty.

Fortunately for him, there was no referendum for a case like this, although that improvement in the criminal law may yet be bestowed upon us.