Ugly Prey: An Innocent Woman and the Death Sentence That Scandalized Jazz Age Chicago

This presentation tells the true story of Sabella Nitti, an innocent woman sentenced to hang in Chicago in 1923 for the murder of her missing husband. There was no motive, no evidence, or  positive identification on the decayed corpse found in a Berwyn sewer. But prosecutors wanted an easy win. Sympathetic juries routinely acquitted lovely women who killed their husbands or boyfriends. In Sabella Nitti, prosecutors saw easy, ugly prey. She was foreign, didn’t speak English, and newspaper reporters considered her hideous. Prosecutors quickly convinced a jury she was guilty. Only 95 days separated Sabella from the gallows. Could anyone save her? As Sabella faced her execution, a team of Italian American attorneys stepped in to fight for an appeal. The team included young lawyer Helen Cirese who realized a makeover might just save her client. To register, please call the library at 708-687-3700 or email kspringer@acornlibrary.org.