Joseph Arridy, Sarah Rector, Russian Gifts

In 1939, a 23-year-old man with the mental capacity of a six-year-old was executed in Colorado for a crime he almost certainly didn’t commit. His name was Joseph Arridy. Nicknamed the "happiest man on death row," Joseph was coerced into confessing to a brutal murder he couldn’t have understood—let alone committed.

In this episode of 10 Minute History, we uncover the heartbreaking story of Joseph Arridy, the flawed investigation that led to his death, and how his tragic case became a powerful example of justice gone wrong.