Top Crime Stories of 2010

By Colleen Cancio
Edited by Kevin P. Allen

There's never a shortage of notable crime stories in the world. People from all walks of life are tempted to commit crimes for one reason or another. But some criminal activities make for more dramatic headlines than others — because of either the high-profile people involved or the severity of the crime itself.

Our list of top crime stories of 2010 ranges from the mildly amusing to the truly evil. One common feature is that we couldn't have made these stories up. These stories prove the old adage that truth is stranger — and often more disturbing — than fiction.

Actress Lindsay Lohan surrenders at the Beverly Hills Courthouse to serve her 90 day jail sentence on July 20, 2010 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Al Seib-Pool/Getty Images)

10. Lindsay Lohan Jailed

Considering how often celebrities make it into our crime countdowns, 2010 was a slow year for Hollywood. However, one celebrity, Lindsay Lohan, managed to do her part. After an arrest and conviction for cocaine possession and driving while intoxicated in 2007, the actress was placed on probation that included a court order to remain sober. Lohan had a difficult time complying with the conditions of the deal.

In the spring of 2010, Lohan's court-ordered alcohol monitoring bracelet recorded violations of her sobriety agreement. Her punishment was a 90-day jail sentence. The public was riveted by scenes of Lohan reporting for her incarceration, as well as details of how she was getting along in the big house. Fortunately for Lohan, she didn't have to serve her entire sentence. She was released after only two weeks in the slammer.

Just before the year's end, Lohan managed to grab some more headlines, after she was accused of battery by an employee at the Betty Ford Center, where Lindsay is being treated. That employee was subsequently fired for violating patient confidentiality.

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich speaks to the press following a verdict at his corruption trial August 17, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

9. Rod Blagojevich Trial

Milorad "Rod" Blagojevich, governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, achieved national notoriety in 2008 for his arrest and indictment on charges of trying to sell the congressional seat of then President-elect Barack Obama. His 2010 trial made our list of top crime stories, in part, because of the flamboyant and often absurd manner in which he behaved after his arrest. Blagojevich appeared on late night talk shows and reality TV programs, often quoting poets such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Rudyard Kipling to make the case for his innocence. His trial was equally theatrical, ending with a hung jury on all but one of 24 counts.

"The government threw everything but the kitchen sink at me," Blagojevich told reporters. "They could not prove I did anything wrong — except for one nebulous charge from five years ago." The "nebulous" charge was for lying to the FBI. CNN reported one juror said members of the jury were a single vote shy of convicting Blagojevich of trying to sell the Senate seat. Authorities plan to retry the former governor in 2011.

Elizabeth Johnson, left, mother of missing baby Gabriel, sits next to her attorney Vanessa Smith, as she appears for a hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court Wednesday, March 17, 2010, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, pool)

8. Gabriel Johnson Disappearance

The case of baby Gabriel Johnson was one of the most tragic and heart-wrenching crime stories of 2010. The boy was last seen on Dec. 26, 2009, when he set off on a road trip with his mother, Elizabeth Johnson. A report by CBSNews.com explains that shortly after their departure, Johnson sent a text message to the baby's biological father, Logan McQueary, saying that she had killed their son and thrown his body in the trash.

Johnson later changed her story, saying that she'd given baby Gabriel to a couple of strangers at a park in San Antonio. However, Johnson has never produced evidence to corroborate that story. She is currently awaiting trial in Phoenix on charges of kidnapping and child abuse. To date, no one knows whether Johnson killed the baby, gave him away or sold him on the black market. That is, no one but Johnson.

A demonstrator dressed as a victim of a stoning execution joins Iranian exiles protesting against the possible stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani in Iran in front of the Brandenburg Gate on August 5, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

7. Stoning Death Sentence for Iranian Woman

Coming in at No. 7 is a disturbing example of Iranian justice. Sakineh Mohammad Ashtiani is an Iranian woman sentenced in 2007 to death by stoning, for an adultery conviction handed down during a trial for her husband's murder. (She was acquitted of being involved in the murder.)

In December 2010, Press TV, Iran's state-run television network, released a video of Ashtiani confessing to the murder of her husband. Activists denounced the confession, saying it was coerced. Iran has also been harshly criticized for Ashtiani's treatment. There has been no official response by the Iranian authorities, and an execution date has not been released.

Ingmar Guandique, 28, center, was tried and convicted of killing Chandra Levy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

6. Chandra Levy Murder Trial

The case of missing Washington intern, Chandra Levy, made national headlines when it was revealed that she'd been romantically involved with then-Congressman Gary Condit, a married man who represented Levy's congressional district in Modesto, Calif. The revelation also caused police officers to focus their investigation on Condit, adding a level of Hollywood-style intrigue to the case. But despite media attention, the case grew cold. That is, until Levy's remains were found by a man walking his dog in Washington's Rock Creek Park on May 22, 2002.

In 2010, another man, Ingmar Guandique, 29, a Salvadoran immigrant with several prior convictions for sexual assault, stood trial for the Levy murder. The case drew headlines yet again, gripping the nation with tales of Levy's life and death. The trial ended with a first-degree murder conviction. Guandique's sentencing is set for February 2011.