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There are several reasons why certain trials become famous. Those involved may already be well known, as in the Lindbergh kidnapping. The crime itself might be unusual, as with that of John George Haigh, who dissolved his victims in acid, or Dr. Sheppard whose story seemed so unlikely. In the case of the playboy killers, Leopold and Loeb, it was most certainly their repulsive motive that drew so much attention. Words to Understand Acquitted: discharged completely from an accusation Ballistics: the science of the motion of projectiles in flight; the study of the processes within a firearm as it is fired Extradition: the surrender of an alleged criminal by one authority (as a state) to another having jurisdiction to try the charge Forensics: crime-solving relating to the application of science How Trials Become Famous

Former American football star and actor O.J. Simpson, here with British public relations executive Max Clifford, appears at the Oxford University Union, after he had been acquitted on the charge of murdering his wife and her friend in the biggest celebrity crime trial of the 20th century.

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