Cases from 2021 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 2021. 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.
3 cases found
On October 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Bonanza City, New Mexico, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was injured on the set of the film Rust when a live round was discharged from a revolver that actor Alec Baldwin was using as a prop.
In September 2021, 22-year-old Gabrielle Petito was reported missing during a cross-country road trip with her fiance Brian Laundrie. Her remains were found in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, and her death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation. Laundrie, who had returned home to Florida alone, was later found dead by suicide; the FBI concluded he was solely responsible for her death.
Richard Alexander Murdaugh, a prominent South Carolina attorney from a powerful legal dynasty, was convicted in March 2023 of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family's hunting estate on June 7, 2021. Prosecutors argued the killings were motivated by Murdaugh's desperation to conceal years of financial crimes, including embezzling approximately $9 million from clients and his law firm. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole for the murders, 27 years for state financial crimes, and 40 years in federal prison for fraud and money laundering, with the South Carolina Supreme Court hearing oral arguments on his appeal in February 2026.