50 True Crimes That Changed Laws

50 True Crimes That Changed Laws

Welcome to WatchMojo, where we’ll be doing a deep dive into the most influential crimes in the history of law.

Bentley's Law

In 2021, Missouri residents Bentley and Mason Newton were orphaned in a drunk driving incident. Both of their parents and brother tragically lost their lives, all because of someone else’s poor decisions. This led their grandmother, Cecilia Williams, to work hard to write a new legislation titled “Bentley and Mason’s Law.” This was introduced in Missouri in 2022 and has since been introduced to over a dozen more states. It requires drunk drivers responsible for orphaning children to pay child support to their victims. This will hold until the child turns 18. It was first passed fully in Tennessee in 2022, where it will hopefully discourage perilous driving.

Sergei Magnitsky

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, Russia is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. The lawyer tasked with solving this issue in the 2000s was Sergei Magnitsky. When he discovered an immense corruption scheme, he was arrested by the officials he had accused in 2008. After 11 months in prison, he was severely abused and likely died because of the prison officials’ neglect. This led to the Magnitsky Act in America, which sanctioned all officials responsible for the crime. Numerous other countries have introduced similar laws, such as Latvia, Lithuania, the UK, Canada, and Australia.

Kelsey Smith

On June 2, 2007, Kansas local Kelsey Smith vanished entirely, then was found to have been murdered four days later. She would’ve been found a lot quicker if Verizon Wireless had immediately handed law enforcement her cell phone records. It took four days, which became a huge scandal. This eventually led to Congress passing the Kelsey Smith Act in 2021, which requires cell-phone companies to comply with law enforcement in missing persons cases. The legislation was first introduced in Kansas in 2009, though, and had been passed in at least 29 other states by 2021.

Kari's Law

In Texas, in 2013, Kari Hunt was fatally attacked by her distant husband. Horrifyingly, their young daughter witnessed the crime, but was unable to get through to emergency services. She called 911 four times in total, but they didn’t make it through. This was because the hotel phone needed you to dial 9 before making an outside call. Kari’s father, Hank, worked hard to implement a law making this illegal. This became known as Kari’s Law in honor of his daughter, and was introduced nationwide in February 2018. The Hunt family was also awarded over $40 million in June 2018 for the hotel's failure.

CAREN Act

Most internet denizens are familiar with the “Karen” meme. It’s essentially a label for middle-aged women who become irritable in public. This inspired the name for the CAREN Act, which stands for Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies. It makes it illegal for someone to make a phone call to emergency services, based on racial prejudice. The law was first introduced by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2020 and passed unanimously. It was later introduced across the whole of California by Rob Bonta. Other states have also made similar laws, like Oregon, New York, and New Jersey.

Suzy Lamplugh

In 1986, British estate agent Suzy Lamplugh was reported missing in London. By 1993, the case to find her had gone cold, and she was officially declared dead. The case was reopened in 1999, but there’s still no concrete answer as to what happened to her. The same year she went missing, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust was established by Suzy’s parents, Paul and Diana. They currently run the UK National Stalking Helpline, and have made immeasurable contributions to raising awareness for personal safety. For instance, they campaigned to introduce the Protection from Harassment Act in 1997, which aims to protect victims of stalking and harassment.

Sophie Elliott

In 2008, Elliott was murdered by her ex-partner in Dunedin, New Zealand. It led to a major controversy surrounding the criminal’s use of the provocation defense. This is when someone argues they lost control before committing the crime, for example, due to emotional factors. This led to the Crimes (Provocation Repeal) Amendment Act Bill, which abolished the defence of provocation in New Zealand. It won with 116 votes and only five opposed it. Elliot’s killer was then sentenced to life imprisonment as the judge believed it was a deliberate murder.

Jennifer Dulos

In May 2019, New Yorker Jennifer Dulos disappeared in Connecticut. The primary suspects became her estranged husband and his partner. The former took his own life in 2020, and the latter was convicted in 2024. Dulos and her husband were in the middle of a challenging divorce, which authorities believe motivated the crime. The incident motivated the Connecticut State Senate to pass the bill “Jennifer’s Law,” which adds coercive control to the definition of domestic violence. This includes behaviour such as stalking and isolating them from support networks, friends, or family. Both California and Hawaii have also created similar bills, but it’s far from being a nationwide law.

Caylee Anthony

The young child, Caylee Anthony, was reported missing on July 15, 2008, by her grandmother, Cindy. The case became highly publicized due to the lack of consistency in her mother Casey’s accounts. She gave a variety of explanations about her daughter’s disappearance, and even called the police to say a nanny had kidnapped Caylee. Eventually, they found the child’s remains wrapped in a blanket near the Anthony home. While they didn’t find Casey guilty of murder, the incident led to Caylee’s Law, which makes it a felony for parents not to report a missing child. In the end, they found Casey guilty of providing false information to law enforcement on four counts.

Ashanti Billie

In 2017, 19-year-old Billie never showed up to her first shift at a new job in Virginia. 11 days later, they found her corpse 350 miles away in North Carolina. They were unable to issue an Amber Alert, as she was too old, but she was too young for a Silver Alert. This led to them deciding to create a new alert for adults between 18 and 64, called the Ashanti Alert. In 2018, this was signed into national law. This allows them to create a nationwide communications network, making it possible to locate missing persons who aren’t covered by the Silver and Amber Alerts.

Skye's Law

On New Year's Eve in Australia 2009, a toddler named Skye Sassine died in an appalling car crash. It was caused by a driver trying to escape police who crashed into the family’s car. The pursuing police were also criticised for their reckless driving. The culprit was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to nineteen years in jail. The case inspired the introduction of Skye’s Law in 2010, which makes it a criminal offense to evade a police pursuit. They began enforcing the law relatively quickly, convicting approximately 445 people in the first two years it was introduced.

Dangerous Dogs Act

In 1991, the UK fell victim to eleven violent dog attacks in one year. Multiple victims lost their lives or were severely impaired, with numerous children being attacked. So, they introduced the Dangerous Dogs Act, which sought to get rid of fighting dogs in the UK. While it sounds good in theory, it’s been criticised for a lack of effectiveness in practice. It focused more on the breed of dog, which the British Veterinary Association strongly opposes. They claimed the problem lies with the owners, not the breeds. This means it’s been one of the most controversial UK laws since its adoption.

Julie Hogg

William Dunlop is famous for being the first criminal to be charged twice with the same offence. In 1989, he strangled a woman named Julie Hogg in County Durham, the UK. Dunlop faced two trials during the 90s, but was not convicted either time. Despite this, Dunlop still managed to get himself locked away for a different crime. During his stay, he bragged to a guard about killing Hogg, but being immune to prosecution. Well, Hogg’s parents worked hard to change the law so that he could be prosecuted again. This succeeded, and in 2006, he was jailed for life.

Jay Cook & Tanya Van Cuylenborg

In 1987, the Canadian couple Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg were on a holiday to Seattle, Washington. They never returned, and a few days after the family reported them missing, their bodies were discovered in Washington. The killer left their gloves at the crime scene as a taunt for the police. Well, they still managed to find his DNA despite that. Decades later, in 2018, they used genetic genealogy and snapshot DNA phenotyping to finally catch the killer. In 2019, he was found guilty and was given two life sentences. This made him one of the first criminals in history to be caught using genetic genealogy.

Stephen Lawrence

In 1993, a teenage Londoner named Stephen Lawrence was murdered while waiting for the bus. It became a historic case as it was racially motivated. So, in its aftermath, there was a nationwide discussion about attitudes towards racism and the police. It led to the groundbreaking Macpherson Inquiry in 1999, which discussed institutional racism in depth and how it had influenced Lawrence’s death. The Macpherson principle arose out of the inquiry, which states that all complaints of racist incidents should be recorded and investigated when someone involved views them as racist. It was an amazing step in the right direction, but institutionalised racism still exists. In 2020, Black people were nearly nine times more likely than White people to be stopped and searched by police.

Sarah Everard

In March 2021, Sarah Everard was horrifically abducted and murdered in South London. The culprit was an off-duty police officer, Wayne Couzens. The criminal was arrested a week later and charged with kidnapping and murder. This led to widespread debate about the role of the police in British society. A public inquiry was commissioned, which tried to determine how Couzens was allowed to become a police officer. In 2024, they determined Couzens had a history of sexual offences, which they had failed to discover during the vetting process. While the inquiry is a step in the right direction, there are still major issues that need addressing, causing millions of women to live in fear.

Jyoti Singh

The 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi was an extremely despicable crime. Jyoti Singh and her friend Avnindra Pratap Pandey were violently abused on a private bus. The driver and five others on the bus were responsible. They started harassing the pair, and it devolved into one of the most disgusting events imaginable. After, they were thrown from the bus where they were found and taken to the hospital, where Singh died eleven days later. It motivated mass protests around India, which in turn led to the creation of a judicial committee in 2012. This serves to take public recommendations about dealing with sex offenders. They reviewed over 80,000 suggestions, leading to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act in 2013.

Jennifer Levin

Robert Chambers Jr., also known as the Preppy Killer, became infamous in 1986 after fatally strangling Jennifer Levin in Central Park, New York. Chambers used the “rough sex” defense during his trial, which was highly controversial. He claimed Levin had assaulted him, and he’d killed her by accident when trying to push her away. Chambers eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was given a five-to-fifteen-year sentence. The case highlighted how controversial using “rough sex” defenses was and increased public awareness of such nefarious tactics. Chambers later pleaded guilty to selling narcotics, getting a nineteen-year sentence. He was nonetheless released in 2023, remaining under supervision until 2028.

Skylar Neese

In West Virginia, in July 2012, teenager Skyler Neese vanished from her home during the night. Her body wouldn’t be found until January 2013, all the way in Pennsylvania. The culprits were two of her best friends, who confessed to the crime after the body was found. Controversially, they couldn’t issue an Amber Alert for her disappearance as she didn’t meet all four criteria needed. This led to Skylar’s Law, a bill passed in West Virginia that alters the criteria for an Amber Alert. It allows them to instantly start making public announcements about disappearances, rather than needing to wait 48 hours. It was unanimously passed and was signed into law in 2013.

Sarah Payne

West Sussex became the location of the gruesome murder of Sarah Payne in July 2000. Seventeen days after her disappearance, they found her body in a field. It turned out she’d been abducted by a man named Roy Whiting, who was given a life sentence for the crime in 2001. The parents had believed the killer was someone with a history of abuse, which was ultimately the truth. The incident led to a campaign for Sarah’s Law, which allows parents to find out if an offender lives in their neighbourhood. Her parents believe they would’ve never lost their daughter if such a law had existed in 2000.

Veronica Guerin

A tenacious investigative reporter, Veronica Guerin was one of the most well-respected journalists in Ireland during the 1990s. Known for building strong relationships with her sources, Guerin doggedly pursued her stories, occasionally putting her own personal safety on the line to secure interviews. She also did not shy away from contentious topics. Ultimately, her work covering organized crime led to her death when a South Dublin drug cartel ordered a hit on her in 1996. Following her murder, the Irish Parliament enacted the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Criminal Assets Bureau Act. These two acts enabled the government to seize assets bought with money acquired through criminal activity and led to the formation of the Criminal Assets Bureau.

Carl Starke

After her son was murdered in the parking lot just outside of her home, Anita Waring-Kennedy pushed to see a change in the law. On August 18, 2015, two men targeted Carl Starke, who had autism, while he was shopping at a store near his home. When Starke left, the men followed him, later killing him during a failed attempt to steal his car. In 2016, Carl’s Law was officially enacted in the state of Florida. The law permits the reclassification of criminal offenses when the victim involved has a mental or physical disability, thereby allowing officials to hand down harsher punishments.

Andrew Harper

On August 15, 2019, police officer Andrew Harper responded to a burglary in progress. While attempting to catch one of the suspects on foot, Harper got caught in a tow strap hanging from the back of the getaway vehicle. Harper was dragged for a mile before becoming disentangled from the strap. He was pronounced dead moments later. His death received national attention and resulted in significant public outcry. Harper’s widow launched a campaign to make life sentences mandatory for those found guilty of the manslaughter of emergency service workers during the commission of a crime. As part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, Harper’s Law received royal assent in 2022.

Tracey Thurman

After months of horrific abuse and unrelenting harassment, Tracey Thurman was attacked by her husband in front of her home. A police officer was on the scene, but despite the brutality of the attack, the officer failed to intervene. In fact, Thurman’s husband went after her two more times during the incident, inflicting even further injury, before the officer finally arrested him. It took Thurman eight months to recover, and she was left partially paralyzed. In a landmark lawsuit, she sued the town and the police department for violating her civil rights. The case brought about significant change to domestic violence laws across the United States, including the Family Violence Prevention and Response Act in Connecticut, which makes arrests in domestic violence cases mandatory.

Dru Sjodin

On Saturday, November 22, 2003, Dru Sjodin wrapped up her shift at the local mall, did a little shopping, and then headed to her car. It appeared to be a typical day for Sjodin, but her friends and family began to worry when she later failed to show up at her other job. She was found dead the next week. Her murderer was identified as Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr., a convicted sex offender recently released from prison. Rodriguez was classified as a level three sex offender at the time, which indicated he was highly likely to re-offend. Following Sjodin’s murder, legislation was passed in 2006 that established the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website. The registry allows users to access information about sex offenders nationwide.

The Manson Family Murders

While almost everyone is familiar with the infamous Manson Family murders, few people realize how the cult’s crimes affected the legal process. Following Sharon Tate’s murder, her mother, Doris Tate, became an activist who fought for victims’ rights. She joined the Victim Offender Reconciliation and Justice for Homicide Victims group. She was also instrumental in getting the Victims’ Rights Bill passed in 1982. Victims in every state are now allowed to give victim impact statements against violent attackers, either written or verbal, during the legal process. Doris Tate was even the first person to make a victim impact statement when her words were read aloud at a parole hearing for a Manson Family cult member in 1976.

Kayden Mancuso

Jeffrey Mancuso had a history of explosive anger and mental health issues. He disfigured a man in a fight in 2012 and mistreated animals in front of his family. But despite such violent tendencies, he was awarded unsupervised visitation with his daughter Kayden. Her mother fought to keep Kayden safe by seeking restraining orders, but it was no use. On August 6, 2018, after a scheduled visitation with her father, Kayden Mancusco was found dead in his home. Kayden’s grieving mother and stepfather fought to change custody laws, and in 2024, Kayden’s Law was signed by the Pennsylvania governor. The law strengthens existing safety conditions and restrictions to help prevent abuse in court-ordered visitation cases and increases the factors judges must consider before granting custody.

Dunblane Massacre

On March 13, 1996, a local shopkeeper walked into Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, Scotland, and opened fire. In under five minutes, he killed 17 people and injured 15 others before taking his own life. The attack remains the deadliest mass shooting in UK history. In the wake of the Dunblane Massacre, grieving parents and activists called for significant gun reform. After intense public debate, private ownership of most handguns and semi-automatic weapons was banned the following year. Parliament also enacted mandatory registration for shotgun owners. In the decades since the Dunblane Massacre, there have been no other mass school shootings in the UK.

Helen McCourt

On February 9, 1988, Helen McCourt headed home after work. She had plans with her boyfriend and was anxious to prepare for her date. She never made it home. As evidence surfaced, it became clear Helen had met with foul play. Although her body was never found, authorities were able to gather enough evidence to convict local pub owner Ian Simms. McCourt and Simms had argued shortly before her disappearance. Helen’s mother advocated for new legislation concerning convicted killers who withhold information about their victims. Under Helen’s Law, offenders who conceal information about their victims face longer prison terms. The law received royal assent in 2020. Simms was released before the law was passed and later died without ever disclosing the location of Helen’s remains.

Mississippi Burning Murders

In June 1964, during the height of the civil rights movement, a major initiative was underway to register black voters in the southern United States. It was called Freedom Summer, and in Philadelphia, Mississippi, the Ku Klux Klan was not happy about it. They launched their own campaign — one of terror and intimidation — to counter the initiative. Three activists, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, went missing and were later found dead. The murders ignited national outrage. Ultimately, 19 people were charged in connection with the crime, including the local sheriff. The events sparked landmark federal legislation prohibiting racial discrimination in voting — the Voting Rights Act — which was signed into law on August 6, 1965.

Clare Wood

Around the world, many women have lost their lives at the hands of their partners or ex-partners. On International Women’s Day in 2014, a law was implemented in England and Wales that could significantly reduce the frequency of such tragic incidents. Clare’s Law, also known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, grants a person the opportunity to find out if their partner has a history of violent behavior. The law takes its name from Clare Wood, an English woman who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton. Appleton had served prison time for violence towards women - a record that was unknown to Wood at the time. Today, other parts of the UK, Australia and Canada have all adopted Clare’s Law.

Daniel Morcombe

On December 7th 2003, Daniel Morcombe was last seen waiting for a bus somewhere in Queensland, Australia. According to reports, when the bus finally came, it failed to stop and pick him up because the driver was running late. Morcombe was apparently abducted shortly after by Brett Peter Cowan, a known predator, and he was declared missing until eight years later when his remains were found. In 2014, Cowan was arrested and sentenced to prison for life. As a result of the case, Australia implemented the ‘No Child Left Behind’ policy, which mandates bus drivers to always stop and pick up children, even if they can’t pay the fare.

Lee Rigby

Lee Rigby was a British Army soldier who lost his life in an attack on May 22nd 2013. Rigby’s assailants - Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale - claimed to have carried out the attack in retaliation for the victims of British military action in Islamic countries. The two men waited at the scene until police arrived, upon which they were subdued and arrested. It is believed that Adebolajo and Adebowale had been radicalized to commit such a crime in the preceding years. In a bid to prevent further instances of this, then British Prime Minister Theresa May introduced the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act in 2015. The bill requires internet providers to keep records of users who access certain IP addresses.

Andrew Bagby & Zachary Turner

The 2008 documentary “Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father” detailed the tragic case of Andrew Bagby and Zachary Turner. Bagby was an American medical student schooling in Canada when he met Shirley Turner. Their relationship produced one child - Zachary - who Bagby never got to see as he was murdered by Turner months before the boy was born. While out on bail, Turner gave birth to Zachary and remained in custody of him. However, before she could stand trial for Bagby’s murder, she took her own life and that of her son. After the documentary was released, Canadian parliament passed Zachary's Bill, which would deny bail to people on the grounds that doing so will protect their children.

The Chicago Tylenol Poisonings

You most likely won’t buy a bottle of over-the-counter drugs if its seal is broken. That level of assurance is only possible today because of the Chicago Tylenol incident. Back in 1982, several bottles of Tylenol were tampered and laced with potassium cyanide. As a result, seven people who consumed the lethal capsules in the Chicago metropolitan area lost their lives. This led to a nationwide recall of all Tylenol products by its manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson. The company also worked with the FDA to introduce sealed bottles, which has now become the industry standard. In 1983, it became a federal crime to tamper with consumer goods after U.S. Congress passed the Federal Anti-Tampering Bill.

Amanda Todd

In September of 2012, a video was uploaded on YouTube, in which a girl shared the story of her mental health issues using a set of flashcards. About a month later, the clip began gaining traction after it was reported that the girl, Amanda Todd from Canada, had taken her own life. According to reports, this was largely as a result of being harassed and blackmailed by a man online. Todd’s senseless death sparked national discussions on cyberstalking and mental health. This led Canadian politicians to pass Bill C-13, which makes it a crime to distribute private images of another person without their consent. It also includes provisions that could help law enforcement investigate and prosecute such cases.

George Floyd

The 2020 murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota sparked protests across the United States and around the world. In addition to demanding justice for Floyd, many demonstrators also called for broad police reform and an end to police brutality. Although the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed the House of Representatives, it faced opposition in the Senate and negotiations collapsed. However, in response to the incident, Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden both signed executive orders that addressed police training and accountability. In addition, more than 20 states in the U.S., and the District of Columbia, enacted laws around police reform aimed at preventing such tragic violence happening again.

Son of Sam

There have been various "Son of Sam" type laws introduced over the years, but the central goal is always the same: to prevent criminals from profiting from their crimes after conviction. This goes back to the fear that David Berkowitz, the notorious Son of Sam, would seek a book or movie deal while in prison to tell his story. Different states have drafted their own version of this law, only for some of them to be struck down as unconstitutional. In New York state, victims and their families will receive notification if the criminal earns more than ten thousand dollars from telling their story. It's a delicate balance between Freedom of Speech and profiting from tragedy.

Sylvia Likens

If you see a child being maltreated, you generally have only a moral obligation to inform the authorities. However, in the state of Indiana, turning a blind eye could result in you being charged with a crime. Referred to as the Mandated Reporter Law, this was enacted largely due to the murder of Sylvia Likens. Likens and her sister had been left in the care of Gertrude Baniszewski, while their parents traveled with a carnival. Instead of caring for her, Baniszewski, alongside some of her children and neighbors, made Likens’ life a living hell and caused her eventual death on October 26, 1965. Although some neighbors reported hearing Likens scream for help, not enough was done to save the girl’s life.

Matthew Shepherd & James Byrd

The two individuals in our next entry may not have known each other, but their place in history was vital towards the expanding of hate crime definition in the United States. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was introduced and passed in the fall of 2009 after both men lost their lives as a result of prejudice and bigotry. The law not only made it easier for Federal authorities to investigate cases of this nature, but the Act also expanded wording to include crimes perpetrated due to one's gender or sexual identity. Although it cannot make up for the senseless loss of these two lives, it's arguably helped many people seek justice in the wake of such crimes.

The Port Arthur Massacre

The town of Port Arthur in Tasmania, Australia was the site of one of the most horrendous crimes in the country’s history. On April 28th 1996, Martin Bryant claimed the lives of 35 people and injured 23 others, using a semiautomatic rifle. The massacre shocked the entire nation and led to a nationwide debate on gun control laws in Australia. In the wake of the tragedy, the Australian government moved swiftly to introduce the National Firearms Agreement (NFA). This agreement significantly restricted access to automatic and semi-automatic weapons, and also included a buyback program for the newly banned firearms. Since then, Australia has seen a considerable decrease in gun-related deaths.

Emmett Till

In 1955, Emmett Till, an African-American teenager, was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he was lynched for allegedly flirting with a white woman. Despite overwhelming evidence of their guilt, Till’s killers were acquitted by an all-white jury. The trial and subsequent outrage over the verdict helped galvanize the Civil Rights movement and led to the passage of multiple landmark laws. In 2008, the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act was enacted, allowing for the investigation and prosecution of racially motivated crimes that occurred before 1970. This was followed by the Emmett Till Antilynching Act in 2022, which recognizes lynching as a federal hate crime. These laws serve as a commitment to seek justice for victims of racial violence.

Polly Klaas

Polly Klaas was taken from her home during a slumber party on October 1st, 1993, and the tragedy had far-reaching effects on California legislature. For starters, support for "three-strikes laws" earned a lot of traction. Her kidnapper, Richard Allen Davis, had a lengthy criminal record, though there were no open warrants when police initially stopped him after being notified of a suspicious car. The idea that felony criminals should serve automatic life sentences when they commit multiple serious crimes was made easy by Davis' repugnant and unrepentant behavior during the trial. Furthermore, California Highway Patrol expanded access to their all points bulletins to local authorities in the aftermath of Polly's death.

Rebecca Shaefer

Living life in the public eye isn't easy, especially when stalkers and obsessed fans come into play. This was unfortunately what caused the loss of a young and promising star, in the form of "My Sister Sam" actress Rebecca Schaeffer. Robert John Bardo stalked the actress for years, attempting to crash the set of "My Sister Sam," and even hiring a private investigator to find out where Schaeffer lived via the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Bardo eventually shot Schaeffer at her home, and her death prompted lawmakers to draft stricter anti-stalking legislation in its wake. The Driver's Privacy Protection Act was also made into law after this incident, making it more difficult for others to find personal information via the DMV.

Johnny Gosch

This cold case was the subject of a 2014 documentary titled "Who Took Johnny?" but it also changed how police respond to reports of missing children. Johnny Gosch was taken during his paper route on the early morning hours of September 5th, 1982, and he hasn't been seen since. At the time of his disappearance, policy in Des Moines, Iowa stated that someone couldn't be labeled as a missing person until 72 hours had gone by. The Gosch case resulted in legislation that changed all of this, making it easier for police to begin an investigation. "The Johnny Gosch Bill" requires authorities to immediately treat all missing person reports of a child as credible, and to respond accordingly.

Megan Kanka

How well do you really know your neighbor? This was the inspiration behind "Megan's Law," a subsection of laws that require the public to be able to access information of convicted sex offenders in their area. The specific case was that of seven year old Megan Kanka, whose neighbor Jesse Timmendequas lured and assaulted her before taking her life. Timmendequas' criminal history with little to no rehabilitation wasn't available to Kanka's family. And, as a local Assemblyman by the name of Paul Kramer was quoted saying, "Megan Kanka would be alive today" had a public registry been easily accessible by her family.

Ernesto Miranda

You've heard it a million times on television and movies, but do you know the actual origins behind your Miranda Rights? Although Ernesto Miranda was a criminal and his second trial did have the same results of a conviction, it's the circumstances of his arrest that changed the law. This was because Miranda wasn't informed of his right to remain silent, so as not to incriminate himself, and was also “refused an opportunity to consult with his counsel.” His confession was deemed inadmissible as evidence, and the state of Arizona had to retry him with said confession omitted from the record. The Supreme Court case, Miranda v. Arizona, now requires that all arresting officers inform you of your right to silence and an attorney.

Amber Hagerman

Most people are familiar with Amber Alerts; they inform us whenever the case of a child going missing is reported in our area. However, it's vitally important that we remember the alert's namesake, Amber Hagerman. While riding her bicycle back in 1996, Hagerman was taken and murdered. Her killer has never been found. The case increased demand for immediate response to any sort of similar report involving minors, and today Amber Alerts go out on radio, television, telephone, internet and highway communication devices in order to maximize public awareness and response. There are also related alerts for missing seniors, called Silver Alerts, and police, known as Blue Alerts.

Adam Walsh

The abduction and death of Adam Walsh is arguably the most well known case on this list, thanks largely to the public presence of Walsh's father, John, as the host of "America's Most Wanted." Still, it's impossible to overstate how much the Walsh Family has worked to help the families of victims over the years, as Adam's case was responsible, in part, for the establishment of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Adam's taking from a Florida mall was also the impetus for the "Code Adam" program that's used in retail environments. An employee will now page information over the intercom to help find a child that’s been reported as having disappeared.

Kitty Genovese

Dialing 911 seems like such an instinctive act, it's easy to forget that this wasn't always how emergencies were called in to police. Kitty Genovese was followed, assaulted and stabbed by Winston Moseley while she was returning home after a late night shift working at a bar. The crime had multiple witnesses in the form of Genovese's neighbors, but some were reportedly too scared to call police, while others had difficulty getting through on a line. At the time, any emergencies would be called into the operator, who would then transfer the call to the appropriate authorities only when they had the opportunity to do so. This delayed response would, in part, influence the establishment of the 911 emergency system we use today.

What do you think was the most influential case in human history? Let us know in the comments below!