Today is Friday, October 2, 2020.

On this day in 1780, a British spy named John Andre was hanged by American revolutionaries.

He was found carrying information passed on by notorious American defector, Major General

Benedict Arnold.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a podcast original.

Today we're covering the 1780 execution of British spy John Andre after he was caught

conspiring with Benedict Arnold during the American revolution.

Let's go back to tap in New York on the morning of October 2, 1780.

30-year-old John Andre awoke early that Monday morning in the stone house that had become

his prison cell, a steely eyed guard watched from a corner of the room as Andre prepared

himself for the day.

The same guard had been there every morning since George Washington's court had found

Andre guilty of espionage three days earlier, but this would be his last day watching the

makeshift cell because today John Andre was doomed to die.

Andre had been the chief intelligence officer in America for the British Army since 1774.

In those years he'd proven himself to be an affable man, respected and admired by those

who knew him for his artistic and literary talents.

Beginning in 1779, Andre turned his charm on an American named Benedict Arnold.

Arnold was a commander in the Revolutionary War and a trusted confidant of General Washington

who had put him in charge of an important military fort in West Point, New York.

But recently Arnold had started to lose faith in America's quest for independence.

After meeting with Andre, Arnold asked if the British would be interested in his help

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