True Crime Cases from 1989
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 Wuornos
ConvictedDaytona Beach, FL · 1989
Aileen Wuornos was a highway prostitute who murdered seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990, claiming each killing was in self-defense against rape or attempted rape. She was convicted of six murders, became one of the most studied female serial killers in American history, and was executed in 2002.
Betty Broderick Murders
ConvictedSan Diego, CA · 1989
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.
Menendez Brothers Resentencing
Appeals OngoingBeverly Hills, CA · 1989
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.
Menendez Brothers
Appeals OngoingBeverly Hills, CA · 1989
Joseph Lyle Menendez and Erik Galen Menendez, commonly referred to as the Menendez brothers, are American brothers convicted of killing their parents, José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Central Park Five (Exonerated Five)
AcquittedNew York, NY · 1989
In April 1989, five Black and Latino teenagers from Harlem were wrongfully convicted of the brutal rape and beating of a jogger in Central Park, based on false confessions extracted through coercive interrogations. They were exonerated in 2002 after the actual perpetrator confessed and his DNA matched the crime scene evidence.