Belva Gaertner (September 14, 1884 - May 14, 1965), acquitted in a 1924 murder trial, inspired the fictional character Velma Kelly/Velma Wall created by Maurine Dallas Watkins, who reported on her trial for the Chicago Tribune. The Belva-inspired Velma has reappeared recently in the 2002 movie musical, "Chicago", played by Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Read more about Belva Gaertner: Early Life, Murder, The Trial, Later Life, Stage and Screen Adaptations, Further Reading