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331:. He drifted through several manual labor jobs, working as a railroad worker, mechanic, and ambulance driver while simultaneously continuing to write bad checks and commit petty theft. Eventually, the crime caught up with him, and in March 1958, at the age of 26, Hickock received his first prison sentence. He was imprisoned in the
44:
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administered at the time of their arrest in the
Clutter case cleared them of the Walker family murders, but by modern polygraph standards, their test results are no longer considered valid. After the exhumation, officials in Kansas retrieved bone fragments from Smith and Hickock's corpses to compare
524:
in his manuscript, arguing that had
Hickock's story been true, he and Smith likely would have used the information to try to negotiate their way out of their death sentences by pinning the crime on Roberts, and he and Smith would not have struggled to make ends meet after the crime if they had been
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allegedly shone a light on the motive behind the murders, which to this day is in dispute. Before his execution, Hickock had insisted (and Smith concurred) that Smith committed all of the murders. However, Hickock's manuscript describes how he shined a flashlight on each of the four
Clutters' heads
429:
agents who had worked on his case and now were present as witnesses to his execution. Hickock told them he had "no hard feelings" towards them, shook each agent's hand, and simply said, "Goodbye." Smith, in contrast, attempted to speak beyond the room when he addressed the media representatives and
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Head injuries from a serious automobile accident in 1950 left
Hickock disfigured, rendering his face slightly lopsided and his eyes asymmetrical. According to his brother Walter, the accident "almost killed him," and it also changed him. After being released from the hospital, Hickock was left with
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sheriff's office announced they were unable to find a match between the DNA of either Smith or
Hickock with the samples in the Walker family murder. Only partial DNA could be retrieved, possibly due to degradations of the DNA samples over the decades or contamination in storage, making the outcome
349:
and Floyd Wells, the latter of whom used to work for the
Clutter family. Wells told Hickock about the affluence of the family's patriarch, Herbert Clutter, specifically telling Hickock that Clutter kept a safe in his house containing $ 10,000. Hickock and Smith devised a plan to rob and murder the
314:
to farmworker parents, Walter Sr. and Eunice
Hickock. He was one of several siblings, including a younger brother named Walter Jr. According to Walter Jr., their parents provided them with a good upbringing, but they were strict; he said of them, "I'm not sure if they were loving in the way you'd
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plot in exchange for $ 5,000 from a man only named
Roberts, writing, "I was going to kill a person. Maybe more than one. Could I do it? Maybe I'll back out. But I can't back out, I've taken the money. I've spent some of it. Besides, I thought, I know too much." Throughout 1961, Hickock sent the
394:, chief investigator in the case, testified at the trial that Hickock insisted in his confession that Smith performed all the killings. Smith, however, first claimed Hickock killed the two women, but later claimed to have shot them himself. Both defendants refused to testify during their trial.
342:, which eventually resulted in the conception of his first child. Hickock then decided to end his first marriage to marry his mistress, and they had two children together. While he served his 1958 prison sentence, his second wife divorced him as well.
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and tried to live an upright life; however, soon afterwards, he contacted Smith. Hickock and Smith met up in Olathe, where they collected supplies to aid in the commission of the crimes. They then went to
Holcomb, where the Clutter family resided.
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while Smith fired; Hickock's only regret, according to the manuscript, was that Smith did all of the killing and
Hickock personally committed no murders. In discussing his alleged motive, Hickock claimed that he had committed the killings in a
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Hickock testified after the trial that he and Smith had gotten the idea to rob the Clutters after Hickock was told by Wells, their former cellmate, that there was a safe in the family's house containing $ 10,000. However, when they
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manuscript to reporter Mack Nations, who had promised to convert it into a book-length manuscript. After completing the project, Nations sent the converted manuscript to the publishing company
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one of uncertainty (neither proving nor disproving the involvement of Smith and Hickock). Consequently, investigators have stated that Smith and Hickock still remain the most viable suspects.
323:. After finishing high school, Hickock had wanted to attend college, but his family lacked the means to finance his post-secondary education. Hickock went to work as a mechanic instead.
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the house just after midnight on November 15, 1959, Hickock and Smith discovered that there was no such safe. The pair then murdered all four members of the family. According to
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on December 30, 1959, for the Clutter family murders, for which they were both tried and found guilty. They both talked extensively to Capote when the author was researching
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is legally and morally wrong." Hickock was executed first and was pronounced dead at 12:41 a.m; Smith followed shortly afterward and was pronounced dead at 1:19 a.m.
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Clutter family. Hickock was released from prison in August 1959, after serving seventeen months. Upon release from prison, he got a job at a body shop in
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On December 18, 2012, the killers' bodies were exhumed from Mount Muncie Cemetery, as authorities hoped to solve a 53-year-old
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after the Clutter murders, and the two had been questioned about the December 19, 1959 shooting murder of
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on April 14, 1965. When asked if he had any last words, Hickock declined, but he requested to address the
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hospital bills and mounting debts, leading him to start bad financial habits like writing bad checks and
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usually say a family is loving." In 1947, the Hickock family relocated to the small east Kansas town of
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uncovered a handwritten manuscript that Hickock wrote during the time that he awaited his execution on
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psychiatrist who specialized in studying Smith and Hickock, read the manuscript at the request of the
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When Hickock was 19, he married for the first time. However, he became involved in an
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968:"'In Cold Blood' Killers Exhumed, Investigators Hope to Solve 53-Year-Old Cold Case"
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and said on the record, "I don't believe for a minute that they got paid to do it."
1088:"'In Cold Blood' Killer's Never-Published Memoir Raises Questions About His Motive"
1024:"'In Cold Blood' killers' bodies exhumed to check for link in 1959 Florida slaying"
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943:"'In Cold Blood' Killers Suspected in Cold Case of Florida Family Massacre"
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4 (didn’t directly kill any member of the family but assisted in the crime)
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993:"'In Cold Blood' killers' bodies exhumed in second murder investigation"
273:(June 6, 1931 – April 14, 1965) was one of two ex-convicts convicted of
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Hickock and Smith were both buried in nearby Mount Muncie Cemetery in
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670:"Left Behind: Man Lives Painful Life in Shadow of Brother's Crime"
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While serving his prison sentence, Hickock met fellow inmates
1050:"No DNA link between Walker murders, 'In Cold Blood' killers"
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676:. The Nutting Company. Ogden Newspapers. Archived from
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Cliff and Christine Walker and their two young children
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319:. Hickock was a popular student and an athlete at
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388:16-year-old Nancy Clutter during the incident.
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1126:Richard Hickcock's inmate photograph and file
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281:on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by
306:Richard Hickock was born on June 6, 1931 in
275:murdering four members of the Clutter family
1174:Executions carried out in the United States
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1345:20th-century executions of American people
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335:for stealing a rifle out of a local home.
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636:"Richard Eugene Hickock Inmate Case File"
457:using DNA. Smith and Hickock had fled to
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743:Kuiper, Kathleen (September 26, 2019).
48:Kansas State Penitentiary - March, 1960
14:
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831:"Last Words Attack Capital Punishment"
745:"Truman Capote: Biography & Facts"
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516:speculated that Hickock may have been
384:, Hickock was prevented by Smith from
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1047:
1022:Sanderson, Bill (December 20, 2012).
940:
1375:People executed by Kansas by hanging
1370:People convicted of murder by Kansas
789:"Hickock, Smith Pay Extreme Penalty"
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495:. The manuscript, reportedly titled
999:. December 19, 2012. Archived from
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474:found in Christine Walker's pants.
417:Hickock and Smith were executed by
397:Hickock and Smith were arrested in
378:'s account of the Clutter murders,
120:Criminal, railroad worker, mechanic
24:
1086:Helliker, Kevin (March 17, 2017).
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25:
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1340:20th-century executions by Kansas
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797:. Garden City, KS. April 14, 1965
616:List of people executed in Kansas
1360:Executed American mass murderers
1146:Executions carried out in Kansas
1048:Koehn, Donna (August 13, 2013).
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1380:People from Kansas City, Kansas
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905:"Hickock's Eyes To Two Persons"
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668:Adam, Suzanna (April 4, 2005).
446:. Hickock donated his eyes for
27:Executed American mass murderer
1350:American murderers of children
1094:. Dow Jones & Company, Inc
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751:. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc
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525:paid for it. Michael Stone, a
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1:
1164: Lloyd Anderson –
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558:1996 TV miniseries adaptation
512:Writer Kevin Helliker of the
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868:"To Be Buried at Levenwarth"
611:Capital punishment in Kansas
606:George York and James Latham
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1365:Executed people from Kansas
642:. Kansas Historical Society
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774:. New York: Random House.
732:. New York: Random House.
541:Hickock was portrayed by
423:Kansas State Penitentiary
333:Kansas State Penitentiary
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547:1967 film adaptation of
770:Capote, Truman (1965).
749:Encyclopædia Britannica
728:Capote, Truman (1965).
488:The Wall Street Journal
702:Richard Eugene Hickock
674:Lawrence Journal-World
497:The High Road to Hell,
365:Clutter family murders
359:Clutter family murders
271:Richard Eugene Hickock
58:Richard Eugene Hickock
1355:Criminals from Kansas
911:. Garden City, KS. AP
874:. Garden City, KS. AP
712:– via Bookrags.
155:Eliminating witnesses
1060:on November 26, 2015
909:Garden City Telegram
872:Garden City Telegram
835:Garden City Telegram
794:Garden City Telegram
680:on December 14, 2019
518:pathologically lying
477:In August 2013, the
111:Execution by hanging
1128:at kansasmemory.org
1092:Wall Street Journal
527:Columbia University
522:engaging in fantasy
448:corneal transplants
340:extramarital affair
169:First degree murder
107:Cause of death
1256:Perry Edward Smith
1182:Perry Edward Smith
1168:– 1965
1154:Perry Edward Smith
1138:Lowell Lee Andrews
432:capital punishment
321:Olathe High School
296:Perry Edward Smith
1317:
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1193:
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1179:Succeeded by
1151:Succeeded by
941:Van Olson, Cora.
837:. Garden City, KS
574:in the 2006 film
564:in the 2005 film
287:non-fiction novel
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260:December 30, 1959
194:November 15, 1959
16:(Redirected from
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479:Sarasota County
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91:(aged 33)
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1121:Find a Grave
1098:December 11,
1096:. Retrieved
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1062:. Retrieved
1058:the original
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1031:. Retrieved
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1005:. Retrieved
1001:the original
996:
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977:December 19,
975:. Retrieved
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962:
950:. Retrieved
946:
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919:– via
915:September 4,
913:. Retrieved
908:
899:
882:– via
878:September 4,
876:. Retrieved
871:
862:
845:– via
841:September 4,
839:. Retrieved
834:
805:– via
801:September 4,
799:. Retrieved
792:
771:
765:
755:December 14,
753:. Retrieved
748:
738:
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708:December 11,
706:. Retrieved
701:
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684:December 14,
682:. Retrieved
678:the original
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646:December 14,
644:. Retrieved
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543:Scott Wilson
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285:in his 1966
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89:(1965-04-14)
68:June 6, 1931
29:
1335:1965 deaths
1330:1931 births
1266:Alvin Dewey
430:declared: "
392:Alvin Dewey
347:Perry Smith
308:Kansas City
210:Location(s)
72:Kansas City
1324:Categories
1251:Harper Lee
622:References
302:Early life
171:(4 counts)
64:1931-06-06
570:; and by
493:death row
485:In 2017,
467:polygraph
455:cold case
438:Aftermath
413:Execution
399:Las Vegas
222:Target(s)
1307:Infamous
1166:Missouri
997:NBC News
972:ABC News
584:See also
577:Infamous
572:Lee Pace
329:gambling
317:Edgerton
135:Children
129:Executed
556:in the
545:in the
531:Journal
514:Journal
459:Florida
421:at the
419:hanging
372:invaded
245:Shotgun
240:Weapons
199:Country
186:Details
151:Robbery
18:Hickock
1310:(2006)
1302:(2005)
1299:Capote
1294:(1996)
1286:(1967)
1239:People
1188:– 1965
1186:Kansas
1156:– 1965
1140:– 1962
1033:May 5,
1007:May 5,
952:May 5,
567:Capote
403:Nevada
386:raping
312:Kansas
231:Killed
147:Motive
101:, U.S.
78:, U.S.
76:Kansas
1275:Films
560:; by
552:; by
472:semen
249:Knife
180:Death
1100:2019
1066:2013
1035:2013
1009:2013
979:2012
954:2013
917:2015
880:2015
843:2015
803:2015
757:2019
710:2019
686:2019
648:2019
465:. A
191:Date
84:Died
54:Born
1228:'s
1119:at
520:or
427:KBI
277:in
1326::
1184:–
1090:.
1074:^
1052:.
1026:.
995:.
970:.
945:.
907:.
870:.
833:.
822:^
791:.
780:^
747:.
718:^
672:.
656:^
638:.
580:.
409:.
401:,
310:,
97:,
74:,
1218:e
1211:t
1204:v
1102:.
1068:.
1037:.
1011:.
981:.
956:.
923:.
886:.
849:.
809:.
759:.
688:.
650:.
138:3
66:)
62:(
20:)
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