American Tragedies Pt.II Trivia Quiz

Answer: Christopher Darden

Darden was the co-counsel for prosecutor Marsha Clark. The murders obviously shocked America because Simpson was so admired on and off the football field. The trial was the first ever fully televised trial and the evidence brought up on both sides was equally shocking, from the DNA evidence against Simpson to police detective Mark Fuhrman's racial actions and words of perjury. On October 3, 1995 about eight months after the trial began, the jury returned after only four hours of deliberation with a not guilty verdict which, of course, had mixed reactions from the public.

Answer: Sharon Tate

The extremely beautiful Sharon Tate who was best known for her part in the film "Valley of the Dolls" (1967) was 26 years old and eight months pregnant when she was murdered. The victims were all either shot or stabbed multiple times and there was never any clear motive for the killings, which was why it was considered a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. On January 25, 1971, Manson and his four followers were sentenced to death but in an ironic twist in 1972, the California Supreme Court did away with the death penalty thus reducing their sentences to life. On April 11, 2012 Manson was denied parole for the 12th time.

Answer: Katrina

Katrina was one of the most devastating hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. People who lost their power and were driven from their homes in New Orleans had to take refuge in the Superdome, and that caused the Saints to play all off their home games on the road.

Answer: she had swallowed a large quantity of a drug called Nembutal

Monroe's death became one of the most debated conspiracy theories of all time. According to the coroner's report her death was caused by "acute barbituate poisoning" and was therefore listed as "probable suicide". However, upon examination by the pathologist, no trace of pills were found in her stomach or intestines indicating that she didn't swallow the pills.

There were however several empty pill bottles on her bedside dresser. They were also not taken intravenously and thus the conspiracy talk began. Jack Clemmons was the first detective on the scene and he and others believed it was murder. According to a former Secret Service agent, the 36 year old Monroe was having an affair with President John Kennedy and rumor had it that she was also involved with his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Thus the theory came out that she was murdered because she was a security risk.

Answer: child beauty queen

JonBenet's murder was one of the most bizzare cases in history. The case remains unsolved. Her body was found in the basement eight hours after she was reported missing. She had been struck in the head and strangled. Initially the mother Patsy Ramsey was suspected of having been involved in the murder even though she maintained that her daughter was murdered by an intruder while she and several others were upstairs.

The police was also accused of conducting a shabby investigation in which they made several mistakes.

The parents were not totally exonerated until July 2008. There were also several defamation suits filed against several media organizations for their reporting of the murder.

Answer: Conrad Murray

The drug "Propofol" is a common anesthesia drug which is administered intravenously in hospitals in preparation for surgery. Murray was charged and convicted of administering the drug to Jackson and on November 29, 2011 he received the maximum sentence of four years in prison. Arnold Klein, who not only was Michael's dermatologist but also the biological father of his children, had a history of prescribing an untold quantity of drugs to the singer. He was never investigated in connection with the death of Jackson. Chopra was an endocrinologist and friend of Michael for 20 years and knew that the singer was gaining access to some powerful drugs.

In the aftermath of his death one of the most impressive tributes to the superstar took place in the Philippines, where 1,500 prison inmates performed the dance routine from the smash music video "Thriller" (1984) in the prison courtyard.

Answer: Farrah Fawcett

Obviously due to the fact that Michael Jackson was perhaps the biggest superstar, the death of Farrah Fawcett was overshadowed and somewhat swept under the carpet. Farrah Fawcett, gained superstardom while starring along side of Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson as the original "Charlie's Angels"(1976-1981).

Her iconic poster which was released the first year of the show set sales records and became one of the most popular posters of the 1970s. The others all died that same year. Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" side kick died on July 23, CBS news legend Walter Cronkite died on July 17 and Bea Arthur( star of "Maude" and "Golden Girls") died on April 25.

Answer: As The World Turns

The CBS soaps were the most popular during the 50s and 60s and when the news flash interrupted "As The World Turns" the devoted housewives were shocked at the news Kennedy had been shot. When the initial report indicated that this was the act of one man, most people accepted that since they were in shock over Kennedy's death.

It didn't take long; however, for the conspiracy talk to surface and now it seems we may never know the truth of what happened that day.

Answer: Menendez

Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life imprisonment on July 2, 1996. The defense laid out by their attorney implied that the brothers committed the murder in response to a lifetime of abuse from their parents, including being sexually abused by the father.

The jury, however believed the killings were committed in order for the brothers to take control of their parents' vast wealth. The death penalty was not considered since there was no evidence that either brother had a criminal record.

Answer: Caylee

It was perhaps the most watched court case since the OJ trial. The prosecutor presented the case in the belief that Casey killed her child because her motherly responsibilities were interferring with her party life style. During the 30 days her child was missing she not only went out partying with friends but she also lied to friends and family, saying Caylee was fine.

When the grandmother Cindy discovered Casey's car had a smell coming from the trunk which smelled like a decomposed body she called 911. Casey eventually told the police that her child was kidnapped by a nanny. That was proven to be another lie and thus authorities began to suspect that Casey murdered her daughter.

The defense team assertained that Caylee had drowned in the back yard swimming pool and then it was covered up to look like a murder. On July 12, 2011 Casey was aquitted of the death charges and charged with the four counts of lying to authorities.

The verdict was greeted with public outrage.