He was convicted for the attempted murder of his wife Sunny von Bülow (born Martha Sharp Crawford, 1932–2008) in 1979 which had left her in a coma from which she never recovered but that conviction in the first trial was reversed and he was found not guilty at his second trial.
Ia dituduh melakukan upaya pembunuhan terhadap istrinya Sunny von Bülow (nama lahir Martha Sharp Crawford, 1932–2008) pada 1979 yang membuatnya koma dari saat ia kemudian pulih namun dakwaan dalam pengadilan pertama tersebut ditangguhkan dan ia dinyatakan tak bersalah di pengadilan keduanya.