Lot M (Siena Hall) and Lot L (Foy Hall) are the preferred parking lots for this event. Please refer to the campus map for locations.
The People vs. Levi Weeks refers to the 1800 murder trial of Levi Weeks, who was accused of killing Gulielma “Elma” Sands in what became known as the Manhattan Well Murder case. Elma Sands was found dead in a well in Lispenard’s Meadow (modern-day SoHo, NYC), and Weeks, her suitor, was the prime suspect.
This trial was notable for being the first recorded murder trial in U.S. history with a full written transcript and for its high-profile defense team, which included Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and Henry Brockholst Livingston. The defense successfully argued that the evidence was circumstantial and that others could have been responsible for the crime. Levi Weeks was acquitted, but public opinion remained against him, and he eventually left New York.
The case remains historically significant due to its legal precedents, the involvement of prominent lawyers, and its connection to early American politics and society.
The Girl from Greenwich Street is based on this true account.
Special thanks to the Michigan Library Digital Collections.
