Collins Memorial Library: STHS 354: Murder and Mayhem under the Microscope: Compiling a Crime Anthology

Criminal Investigations and Trials

If you are researching a criminal case that went to trial, see if you can find a case file that includes testimony and, if applicable, images of evidence.

Notable Trials Library
Each book in the Notable Trials series focuses on a single case and includes legal documents ranging from inquest materials, indictments, court testimony, and more.
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These books are in the Collins Print collection. If you are local, you may request books for pickup. If you are remote, submit a "digitize it" request for the table of contents. Once you have the ToC, you can identify sections of interest and submit new digitization requests.
Famous Trials (Prof. Linder, UMKC School of Law)
Collections of primary source documents and other materials surrounding famous trials. Access is via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
Famous Cases and Criminals (FBI)
Describes cases with heavy FBI involvement. Often includes links to FBI materials obtained through FOIA. Be sure to also search the FBI Vault: https://vault.fbi.gov/

There are many online sites devoted to particular crimes and trials. Look for ones that are sponsored by educational institutions, libraries or museums, or historical societies. A few examples:

Haymarket Affair Digital Collection
Rich collection of primary source materials related to the Chicago strike, bombing, riots, and police responses.
Lindbergh Kidnapping Evidence Photographs
Copies of Evidence Photographs — Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann for Kidnapping of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., 1935. (State of New Jersey Archives)
Warren Commission Report
Full text of the 888-page report on the assassination of JFK.

Print Media Primary Sources

Trial Pamphlets Collection (Cornell University Law School)
"Trial pamphlets are contemporary accounts of trials that involved prominent citizens or that dealt with especially controversial or lurid topics. These pamphlets were produced quickly and inexpensively, and then sold on the street soon after the trial to a mass audience."

Los Angeles Times Historical Newspaper (1881-1996) This link opens in a new window
Full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue of the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
New York Times Historical Newspaper This link opens in a new window
Includes full page images of the New York Daily Times (1851-1857) and the New York Times (1857-2017).
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers
Provides access to primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S.
Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982
Contains comprehensive indexing of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States.
Readers’ Guide Full Text Mega
Includes indexing as far back as 1983 and searchable full text of articles as far back as 1994. Provides access to illustrations, photographs and other graphical content from the original article. Subject coverage is multidisciplinary.

Scholarly Articles & Books

Use Primo to help identify scholarly books as well as reviews of them. Look for books published by university presses or academic publishers.

Take a multidisciplinary approach when searching for scholarly articles. The databases below will help you find scholarly work written from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
A history database. Indexes articles, books, essays in books, and dissertations on the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
Criminal Justice Database
U.S. and international criminal justice journals. Topics covered include, criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections administration, drug enforcement, rehabilitation, family law, and industrial security.
General Science Full Text
Includes scholarly articles related to forensics from a scientific perspective.
History of Science, Technology and Medicine (HSTM)
Includes scholarly work on intersections of science and technology with criminal forensics.
Legal Collection
A collection of scholarly peer-reviewed publications including law journals, documents and case studies.
PsycINFO
Includes scholarly work in the areas of forensic psychology and psychiatry.

Multimedia

Selected documentaries or news programs can be found in the following databases:

American History in Video
Includes 2,000 hours of streaming video content. More than half is contemporaneous video from the 1890s to the 1980s. The early newsreels, including the complete series of United Newsreel and Universal Newsreel, capture history as it was made and reported to viewers of the time. American History in Video also includes hundreds of documentaries.
Academic Video Online (AVON) This link opens in a new window
Is a video subscription that delivers almost 70,000 titles spanning subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more.