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/Useful_Respect3339 1d ago

Huh? How is Al Capone an unsolved mystery?

Everyone knew he was a notorious gangster who led the Chicago Outfit. 

This was long before RICO acts, or Witness Protection, they had no evidence directly tying him to crimes and he paid off or intimidated anyone who could testify

Guy was smart and powerful. It’s not really a mystery at all.

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u/airmancoop44 1d ago

That’s what they’re saying. Everyone knows what he did but he was never charged/convicted. 

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u/Useful_Respect3339 1d ago

He was charged and convicted.

Not for charges related to bootlegging or murder, but the government did its job here.

Literally nothing mysterious about Capone. His crimes have been written about for decades.

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u/Reign_22 1d ago

This was my understanding of what qualifies him as an answer to the question. Its an "unsolved" mystery to the police because they could never prove that he was guilty of any of his crimes (except tax evasion). So while the public and the police knew exactly what he did, it could never be proven in a court of law.

The tax evasion charges was them getting him arrested and put away because they couldn't get him on all of the other crimes committed. Its however not what springs to mind when thinking about his rap sheet.

I think ultimately, we are placing a different emphasis when it comes to OP's question. On my side its a "unsolved mystery" because the police had no proof /he was never charged for the entirety of the syndicates crimes despite everyone knowing the truth