In 1932, the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's baby son shocked the world. A hero in the United States and Europe, Lindbergh had made a historic first crossing of the Atlantic by flying from New York to Paris only five years earlier. After discovering the infant's corpse, investigators failed to make progress on solving the case. Then, in 1934, the arrest, trial, and execution of a German-born carpenter, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, led to a frenzy that ultimately had a lasting impact on U.S. society and law. Although he protested his innocence, Hauptmann was reviled in the press, and his trial became a circus. Afterwards, trial reform was initiated to protect defendants, and Congress passed a tough anti-kidnapping law.

On March 1, 1932, the 21-month old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh disappeared from the couple's affluent Hopewell, New Jersey home. A ladder found against the house had apparently carried the kidnapper up...