70:
to pull over at the reservoir and had thrown herself into the reservoir. He claimed that her physical injuries were caused when he attempted to stop her from jumping. Spell was acquitted on
January 31, 1941. The jury had deliberated for nearly 13 hours. Immediately after the trial Marshall travelled to Oklahoma to assist with the defense of
69:
Spell claimed that their sexual encounter was consensual, and that he suggested they go for a drive when she became anxious about becoming pregnant. While Spell at first claimed to have had no connection with
Strubing's injuries and fall into the reservoir, he later confessed that she had asked him
61:
Eleanor
Strubing accused Spell of raping her four times at her home in Greenwich, Connecticut, kidnapping her, forcing her to write a ransom note for $ 5,000, and attempting to murder her by throwing her from a bridge, all on the night of December 10-11, 1940. On the morning of December 11 Strubing
27:- in which an African-American chauffeur was accused of raping Eleanor Strubing, a wealthy white woman who was his boss. The accusations and trial made sensational headlines. Spell was represented by Samuel Friedman and future US Supreme Court justice
57:
after getting drunk, stealing an officer's car, and crashing it. At the time of the rape accusation he was living in the attic of his employer's home with his common law spouse Virgis Clark, who was employed by the
Strubings as a cook.
40:
After 17 hours of questioning Spell confessed to being intimate with
Strubing, but (contrary to police accounts) said that he had never confessed to raping her. The trial jury in January of 1941 found him not guilty.
298:
134:
195:"The True Story Behind "Marshall": What really happened in the trial featured in the new biopic of future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall"
293:
288:
268:
53:
in 1909. He married at 17, split with his wife after three months, but never got a divorce. He served in the U.S. Army before being
303:
313:
308:
213:
116:
194:
175:
135:"Mrs. J.K. Strubing Is Kidnapped And Hurled Off Bridge by Butler; Woman Kidnapped; Hurled Off Bridge"
50:
54:
89:
63:
28:
93:
84:
33:
231:
139:
157:
282:
82:
Some elements of the trial and surrounding events were depicted in the 2017 movie
249:
71:
269:"'Marshall' Shows The Side of the Supreme Court Justice You Never Knew"
158:"AP Was There: The rape case at the center of "Marshall" film"
66:
in
Westchester County, New York, soaking wet and injured.
8:
193:Boissoneault, Lorraine (October 6, 2017).
31:. The case is featured in the 2017 film
105:
62:was found by two truck drivers by the
267:Florio, Angelica (October 13, 2017).
250:"Spell Wins Acquittal in Attack Case"
7:
152:
150:
111:
109:
25:State of Connecticut v. Joseph Spell
176:"The True Story Behind "Marshall""
14:
212:Sharfstein, Daniel (April 2005).
299:Rape trials in the United States
117:"Legal Affairs March/April 2005"
1:
16:1940 trial in Connecticut, US
294:Westchester County, New York
289:20th-century American trials
330:
92:and Thurgood Marshall by
88:. Spell was portrayed by
304:1940 in New York (state)
23:was a 1940 legal case -
55:dishonorably discharged
314:Trials in Connecticut
236:History vs. Hollywood
162:Associated Press News
21:trial of Joseph Spell
309:1940 in American law
254:The Hartford Courant
199:Smithsonian Magazine
143:. December 12, 1940.
51:Lafayette, Louisiana
256:. February 1, 1941.
164:. October 30, 2017.
49:Spell was born in
232:"MARSHALL (2017)"
214:"Saving the Race"
90:Sterling K. Brown
64:Kensico Reservoir
29:Thurgood Marshall
321:
273:
272:
264:
258:
257:
246:
240:
239:
228:
222:
221:
209:
203:
202:
190:
184:
183:
172:
166:
165:
154:
145:
144:
131:
125:
124:
121:legalaffairs.org
113:
94:Chadwick Boseman
329:
328:
324:
323:
322:
320:
319:
318:
279:
278:
277:
276:
266:
265:
261:
248:
247:
243:
230:
229:
225:
211:
210:
206:
192:
191:
187:
180:smithsonian.com
174:
173:
169:
156:
155:
148:
133:
132:
128:
115:
114:
107:
102:
80:
47:
17:
12:
11:
5:
327:
325:
317:
316:
311:
306:
301:
296:
291:
281:
280:
275:
274:
259:
241:
223:
204:
185:
167:
146:
140:New York Times
126:
104:
103:
101:
98:
79:
76:
46:
43:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
326:
315:
312:
310:
307:
305:
302:
300:
297:
295:
292:
290:
287:
286:
284:
270:
263:
260:
255:
251:
245:
242:
237:
233:
227:
224:
219:
218:Legal Affairs
215:
208:
205:
200:
196:
189:
186:
181:
177:
171:
168:
163:
159:
153:
151:
147:
142:
141:
136:
130:
127:
122:
118:
112:
110:
106:
99:
97:
95:
91:
87:
86:
77:
75:
73:
67:
65:
59:
56:
52:
44:
42:
38:
36:
35:
30:
26:
22:
262:
253:
244:
235:
226:
217:
207:
198:
188:
179:
170:
161:
138:
129:
120:
83:
81:
68:
60:
48:
39:
32:
24:
20:
18:
283:Categories
100:References
72:W.D. Lyons
45:Background
85:Marshall
78:In media
34:Marshall
19:The
285::
252:.
234:.
216:.
197:.
178:.
160:.
149:^
137:.
119:.
108:^
96:.
74:.
37:.
271:.
238:.
220:.
201:.
182:.
123:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.