The case of Dr. Sam Sheppard, a Cleveland neurosurgeon, became a sensational legal saga that inspired the TV series and film The Fugitive. In 1954, Sheppard was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Marilyn, in their Bay Village home. Marilyn was found bludgeoned to death, and Sheppard claimed an intruder attacked him after he discovered the crime. Despite his defense, the prosecution argued Sheppard killed his wife due to an extramarital affair, and he was sentenced to life in prison. The case drew massive media attention, with biased coverage influencing public opinion and the trial. In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Sheppard’s conviction, citing unfair publicity and judicial errors. A retrial acquitted him, but Sheppard struggled to rebuild his life, dying in 1970. His son later pursued a wrongful conviction lawsuit, but the case remained unresolved. The Sheppard case, with its themes of a wrongfully accused man on the run, directly inspired the 1960s TV series The Fugitive and the 1993 Harrison Ford film.

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