HOLCOMB — 1959 · Murder
The Holcomb Farmhouse Murders ('In Cold Blood')
In the early hours of 15 November 1959, a family of four — a father, a mother and their two teenage children — were murdered in their farmhouse near the small farming town of Holcomb, Kansas. The killers had broken in to rob the house after hearing a false prison rumour that it held a safe. Acting on a tip from a former cellmate, police arrested two ex-convicts in Las Vegas in December 1959. They were convicted and sentenced to death in 1960 and executed on 14 April 1965. Truman Capote's 1966 account of the case, 'In Cold Blood', became one of the most influential works of narrative non-fiction.
- Date
- 1959
- Place
- Kansas, USA, Holcomb, US
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 37.9906, -100.9891 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 15 November 1959A family of four was murdered in their farmhouse near Holcomb.
- 30 December 1959Acting on a tip, police arrested the two killers in Las Vegas.
- March 1960A court in Garden City convicted both men and sentenced them to death.
- 14 April 1965The killers were executed.
- 1966Truman Capote's 'In Cold Blood' was published.
Sources
- Justia — Kansas Supreme Court, State v. Hickock & Smith (1961) law.justia.com ↗
- The Guardian — In Cold Blood: a near masterpiece theguardian.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Clutter family murders en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Justia (Kansas Supreme Court ruling)
- TIME
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.