Cases from 1989 include criminal investigations, trials, and notable events that occurred during the year. Whether they involved new charges, breakthroughs in cold cases, high-profile trials, or tragic incidents that captured national attention, the cases documented here reflect the state of the criminal justice system in 1989. CaseSleuth provides detailed, chronological coverage of each case with timelines, evidence breakdowns, profiles of key people involved, and links to primary sources and media coverage.
5 cases found
Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer who murdered seven men along Florida highways between late 1989 and late 1990 while working as a sex worker. Initially claiming self-defense, she was convicted of six murders, sentenced to death, and executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. Her story was depicted in the Academy Award-winning 2003 film Monster, starring Charlize Theron.
Betty Broderick shot and killed her ex-husband Daniel Broderick and his new wife Linda Kolkena in their San Diego bedroom on November 5, 1989. After a first trial ended in a hung jury, she was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder in 1991.
In 2024, renewed attention to the 1989 Menendez brothers case led to resentencing efforts after new evidence of sexual abuse by their father José emerged, including a letter and a corroborating witness.
Lyle and Erik Menendez, then ages 21 and 18, shot and killed their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989. After two trials, they were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy in 1996 and sentenced to life without parole. In May 2025, a judge resentenced them to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole.
On April 19, 1989, five Black and Latino teenagers — Korey Wise (16), Yusef Salaam (15), Antron McCray (15), Raymond Santana (14), and Kevin Richardson (14) — were arrested for the assault and rape of jogger Trisha Meili in Central Park. Police coerced false confessions from the boys during prolonged interrogations. All five were convicted in 1990 despite DNA evidence excluding them. In 2002, convicted serial rapist Matias Reyes confessed to being the sole attacker, and DNA confirmed his guilt. All five convictions were vacated on December 19, 2002. The men received a $41 million settlement from New York City in 2014. Now known as the Exonerated Five, their case became a landmark example of wrongful conviction driven by coerced confessions and racial injustice.