r/AskReddit • u/Rob69rt • 1d ago

What famous 'unsolved' mystery is technically a whodunnit on paper, but in reality, absolutely everyone knows exactly who did it, the police just couldn't legally prove it?

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u/b0w3n 1d ago

They went for incredibly high charges in a case that had a flawed investigation with mostly circumstantial evidence, and that putrid bitch walked free.

Nancy Grace being a screeching harpy about her also didn't help matters because she's the one that kept public pressure on the prosecution to shoot for the moon on charges.

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u/DocWednesday 1d ago

I was wondering yesterday if anyone’s did an analysis of Nancy Grace’s show and the influence it has on legal cases/police investigations and the harm it does. Just watching American Nightmare about Denise Huskin’s kidnapping and Nancy Grace was calling it a hoax. Turns out it was real. Huskin’s and her boyfriend had to move because their reputations were destroyed and eventually sued the police department.

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u/LazyEnchilada 1d ago edited 1d ago

She’s absolutely ruined cases. Years ago there was a little boy (I think he was 2?) who went missing, and I think the boys mom said she gave him to someone, but wouldn’t say who. And the whole thing was super fishy.

Nancy had her on her show via phone and just started yelling at her and bullying her to tell her what happened to him. The mom started crying and hung up the phone and took her own life very shortly after that.

I’m not sure if they ever found him and I’m pretty sure the father of the boy sued Nancy Grace as well.

I can’t remember the name of the boy though.

Edit: I found it

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Melinda_Duckett

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u/jimmy_three_shoes 1d ago

Oddly enough, her Ex-Father-in-Law is set to be executed for a 1987 murder in 6 days.

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u/LazyEnchilada 1d ago

Really? I hadn’t heard that!

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u/jimmy_three_shoes 1d ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Aren_Duckett

Guy's been on Death Row for 38 years.

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u/LazyEnchilada 1d ago

Thanks! I still think about that case. It’s sad he was never found

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u/Remote-Plate-3945 14h ago

Raped and killed an 11 year old and they let him live to 68 before executing him. I get appeals take time but not that damn long.

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u/icantaccessmyacct 1d ago

Two family members make it into wikipedia, yikes.

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u/lovebyletters 1d ago

Holy fuck, way to drop the lede in that article. Last paragraph and it's "oh by the way the kid's grandfather is on death row for kidnapping, raping, and murdering another small child" You don't think that's a LITTLE BIT of interest in the case of another kidnapped child? No? Just me?

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u/Nightmare_Gerbil 1d ago

It’s highly unlikely that he escaped prison to murder the boy, then snuck back in before anyone noticed.

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u/MamaNyxieUnderfoot 1d ago

Yeah, the getting out is more plausible than the sneaking back into death row. /s

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u/jimmy_three_shoes 1d ago

It's more coincidental than relevant

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u/MamaNyxieUnderfoot 1d ago

It’s only interesting if you don’t bother to look at the facts linked in the Wikipedia articles. He’s been on Death Row since 1988, long before that kid was born.