![]() | Shattered Sense of Innocence In October 1955, three Chicago boys were found murdered, their bodies naked and dumped in a ditch in Robinson Woods on the city's Northwest Side. A community and a nation were shocked. In a time when such crimes against children were rare, the public was transfixed as local television stations aired stark footage of the first hours of the investigation. Life and Newsweek magazines published exclusive stories the following week. When Kenneth Hansen was convicted and sentenced for the murders, the case was considered solved--until questions were raised about Hansen's presumed guilt. Richard C. Lindberg is a journalist, a research historian, and the author of eleven books, including To Serve and Collect: Chicago Politics and Police Corruption from the Lager Beer Riot to the Summerdale Scandal, 1855-1960 , the first book-length history of the Chicago Police Department published since 1887, and Chicago by Gaslight: A History of the Chicago Netherworld, 1880-1920. He is a past president of the Illinois Academy of Criminology and the Society of Midland Authors and a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for Excellence in Research and Reportage for his work on Chicago organized crime and street gangs. Gloria Jean Sykes is a documentary film producer and investigative journalist. The wide respect her work has earned is evident in Emmy nominations for three of her specials, Campaign '90 ; Homelessness: A Prayer ; and Children of Alcoholic Parents . She produced the prime-time NBC series What Happened? , which explores the mysteries surrounding such high-profile cases as the meltdown at Three Mile Island, and her documentaries Multiple Personalities and Marriage and Murder garnered honors as A&E's highest-rated programs. Her first feature movie, the HBO Original Cheaters , spotlights the 1995 Steinmetz High School academic decathlon scandal. First airing in 2000, it also earned an Emmy nomination. |
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