On Tuesday, March 6, 1934, Indianapolis attorney Jessie Levy walked into a Lima, Ohio courtroom and took over the defense for three members of the John Dillinger gang. The rest as they say…is her story.
Attired in her best pair of black leather sling backs, Indianapolis attorney, Miss Jessie Levy ventured where more seasoned attorneys feared to tread. During murder trials scrutinized by the entire country, she defied a corrupt prosecutor hell bent on sending as many of the Dillinger gang to death row as he possibly could.
The cause seemed hopeless until another ambitious young attorney, Bess Robbins, whose deepest held wish was to try her first murder case, joined the fray.
Together they skillfully represented six of the Dillinger gang; a number far greater than any of their male counterparts. And yet, their story of deals gone bad, wrongful convictions and success against the odds has been “overlooked” until now.
Defending the Dillinger Gang - Jessie Levy and Bess Robbins in the Courtroom is a 2021 Book Selection of the Ohioana Book Festival .
