In 1993, during the devastating Great Flood of 1993, a man named James Scott was accused of doing something almost unbelievable.
Prosecutors said he deliberately damaged a levee near West Quincy along the Mississippi River, which led to around 14,000 acres of farmland being flooded. The motive presented in court was shocking. They claimed he wanted to strand his wife on the other side of the river so he could continue partying.
The flood caused enormous damage to farms and property, and Scott was convicted of intentionally causing a catastrophe. He received a life sentence.
What makes the story even more controversial is that Scott has always maintained his innocence, and some people still question whether the levee failure was entirely his doing or part of the wider natural disaster happening at the time.
It sounds like something from a movie, but it was a real case with very real consequences.
