WANTED Dead or Alive? The Legend of Billy the Kid

William H. Bonney, a.k.a. “Billy the Kid” was an American Old West gunfighter and outlaw. He is known to have killed eight men.​ After a series of crimes ranging anywhere from murder to cattle theft, Billy’s notoriety grew in December 1880 when the Las Vegas Gazette and the New York Sun carried stories about his crimes. He was captured by Sheriff Pat Garrett later that same month, tried and convicted of the crime of murder in April 1881, and sentenced to hang in May of that year. Billy escaped from jail on April 28, 1881, killing two sheriff’s deputies in the process, and evaded capture for more than two months. 

On July 14, 1881, Billy the Kid was supposedly killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in New Mexico and was quickly buried. The New Mexico legislature unanimously agreed to grant the then substantial bounty of $500 to Sheriff Garrett. However, it was rumored that Sheriff Garrett was in fact a friend of Billy the Kid and staged his death out of friendship so that the gunman could evade the law. In fact, several people have even alleged to be the notorious outlaw. To date, no forensic evidence has ever been discovered that would confirm or disprove that Billy the Kid was actually killed that fateful night in July.

So what really happened? Did Sheriff Garrett finally bring justice to New Mexico, or did Billy the Kid evade the law permanently with the help of a friend? Back In Time has been hired by the New Mexico Sheriff’s Department to travel back to 1881 and uncover any evidence, if any, that would suggest a friendship between Sheriff Garrett and Billy the Kid and help shed some light on this mystery.

Do you and your team have what it takes to put either of these theories in their graves permanently? Sign up for this mission and find out!