Uploaded December 2020 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
When Caryl Whittier Chessman committed his crimes in January 1948, he could not have imagined that he would be sentenced to death for kidnapping under the "Little Lindbergh" law that had been put in place following the sensational kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr, even though he had not killed anyone. For nearly 12 years, Chessman's case gained international fame as he fought to stave off his execution until the end came on May 2, 1960. Did his crimes fit the punishment?
Please note that this program was made in 1993. Country music star Merle Haggard stated in an interview in 1995 that many years earlier, when he was a prison inmate at San Quentin Prison, observing Chessman's preparations for his execution helped to set him on the straight and narrow.
This is a TV recording, and has about 3 minutes cut for ads.
When Caryl Whittier Chessman committed his crimes in January 1948, he could not have imagined that he would be sentenced to death for kidnapping under the "Little Lindbergh" law that had been put in place following the sensational kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr, even though he had not killed anyone. For nearly 12 years, Chessman's case gained international fame as he fought to stave off his execution until the end came on May 2, 1960. Did his crimes fit the punishment?
Please note that this program was made in 1993. Country music star Merle Haggard stated in an interview in 1995 that many years earlier, when he was a prison inmate at San Quentin Prison, observing Chessman's preparations for his execution helped to set him on the straight and narrow.
This is a TV recording, and has about 3 minutes cut for ads.
