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1962 BCE
1962
1961: Sams request for a new trial has been shot down and he is transferred to Marion Correctional Institution and Ariane is permitted to write him directly. Sam cannot respond to her directly until 1962. No jury -
1954 trial
The trial of Sam Sheppard opened on October 18, 1954 in the Cleveland courtroom of seventy-year-old Judge Edward Blythin. Celebrity journalists flocked to the city for a trial that promised sex, mystery, and intrigue in abundance. Jury -
1954
Selection of jury begins. Local and national media reporters pack the courthouse. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office seeks the death penalty. -
1954
Sam Sheppard found guilty of murder in the second degree. Jury -
1955
Judge Blythin denies Sam’s motion for a new trial. Motions include 40 grounds for a new trial, including: pretrial publicity, denial of a change of venue, presence of the press in the courtroom, substitution of a juror, errors in jury instructions, and denial of a motion for continuance. -
1955
Federal judge gives Sheppard 60 more days -
1955
April-July 1955: Defense moves for new trial on grounds of evidence discovered by Kirk. Judge Blythin overrules this motion on May 9, 1955, and all appeals to higher courts are unsuccessful. Sam is moved to a maximum security prison in Columbus. -
1963
April 13, 1963: Bailey files a new habeas corpus petition in U.S. District Court, arguing that prejudicial publicity surrounding the 1954 trial violated Sam’s right to due process.court -
1966 trial
A few developments, however, offered some promise. Dr. Paul Kirk, a respected California criminalist, after conducting a thorough investigation of the Sheppard home, published a report concluding that the murderer was left-handed, probably used a flashlight as a murder weapon, and most likely was someone who hated the Sheppards. He reported finding blood in the murder room that came neither from Sam or from Marilyn. -
2000
On April 12, 2000, when the 12-week trial was completed, 76 witnesses had testified, more than 600 exhibits had been presented, and 19 experts had taken the stand, testifying on subjects including forensic pathology, blood spatter, DNA and forensic photography. -
2002
February 21, 2002: The Sheppard Estate appeals to the Eighth District Court of Appeals, who finds that the civil suit should never have proceeded to trial because such a claim abated upon the death of Sam Sheppard. -
2002 trial
In 2002, the Ohio Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by lawyers for Sheppard's estate, letting stand the appellate court decision. Jury