Most major crimes are burned into our collective memory because of their cruelty or a spectacular plunder. Yet the crime itself often obscures its consequences. If you take a closer look, you will discover cases that made history because they shaped our understanding of morality, right and wrong. Based on historical criminal cases that have had a lasting impact on our lives, this three-part series delves into the past: we experience how our basic human rights grew out of crimes, how individual crimes became state affairs that shook entire systems, and why the worst criminals are part of our collective memory. The far-reaching consequences of our cases had a direct impact on the administration of justice as we know it today. Thus, on a micro level, the series tells of the crimes and how they were solved, and on a macro level, it tells of the genesis of our rule of law.

Episodes
1 - From Jack the Ripper to the Dreyfus Affair
2 - From Sarajevo to the Hitler Assassination Attempt
3 - From Escobar to Columbine