Illinois vs. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb The crime that was to capture the attention of the nation in 1924 all began as a fantasy in the mind of eighteen year old Richard Loeb. Although Loeb was the handsome and privileged son of a retired Sears and Roebuck Vice President, he was obsessed with crime. Loeb, despite his high intelligence and reputation for being the youngest graduate ever of the University of Michigan, read mostly detective stories. In the “twisted” mind of Richard Loeb, crime became sort of a game. He read about crimes, planned crimes, and committed crimes, although none until 1924 involved the physical harm of another