Caril Ann Fugate (born July 30, 1943) is the youngest female in United States history to have been tried and convicted of
first-degree murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
.
She was the adolescent girlfriend of
spree killer
A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders or homicides in a short time, in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations ...
Charles Starkweather
Charles Raymond Starkweather (November 24, 1938 – June 25, 1959) was an American spree killer who murdered eleven people in Nebraska and Wyoming between December 1957 and January 1958, when he was nineteen years old. He killed ten of his victi ...
, being just 14 years old when his murders took place in 1958. She was convicted as his accomplice and sentenced to
life imprisonment, being paroled after 17 years in 1976.
Background to crime spree
Fugate lived in
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
, with her mother and stepfather. In 1956, at age 13, she formed a relationship with
Charles Starkweather
Charles Raymond Starkweather (November 24, 1938 – June 25, 1959) was an American spree killer who murdered eleven people in Nebraska and Wyoming between December 1957 and January 1958, when he was nineteen years old. He killed ten of his victi ...
, a
high school dropout
Dropping out refers to leaving high school, college, university or another group for practical reasons, necessities, inability, apathy, or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves.
Canada
In Canada, most ind ...
five years her senior. They met through Caril's sister, Barbara, who was dating Starkweather's friend, Bob von Busch. On January 21, 1958, Starkweather shot and killed Fugate's stepfather, Marion Bartlett, and her mother, Velda. Starkweather then hit Fugate's younger half-sister, Betty Jean, and stabbed her in the neck. Fugate claimed she came home to find Starkweather there alone, waiting for her with a gun. She said he told her that her family was being held hostage and that if she did exactly as he said, her family would be safe. During the next six days, the pair lived in the house and turned away all visitors, which made Fugate's relatives suspicious. The bodies were found later in outbuildings on the property.
Cross-state crime spree
Starkweather and Fugate then fled, driving across
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
and into
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
on a murder spree that claimed six more lives before they were arrested.
She admitted holding a
.410 gauge
The .410 bore is one of the smallest caliber of shotgun shell commonly available (along with the 9mm Flobert rimfire cartridge, and the less common .22 rimfire shot shell). A .410 bore shotgun loaded with shot shells is well suited for small g ...
shotgun on a young high school couple, Robert Jensen and Carol King.
Sentencing
Starkweather was sentenced to death and executed in the electric chair on June 25, 1959. He insisted that although he had personally killed most of the victims, Fugate had murdered several as well. Although she continued to maintain her innocence, she was tried and convicted for her role in the murder spree. Based on evidence presented that Fugate had opportunities to leave her captivity, and Starkweather's own testimony, the jury found her testimony that she was Starkweather's hostage not credible. She was sentenced to life imprisonment at the
Nebraska Correctional Center for Women
The Nebraska Correctional Center for Women (NCCW) is a state correctional facility for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Located just west of York, Nebraska, it is the only secure state facility to house adult women.
NCCW, began ...
in
York, Nebraska
York is a city in and the county seat of York County, Nebraska, United States. At the 2010 census, the city population was 7,766. It is the home of York College and the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women.
History
York was platted in 1869. ...
.
In 1973, the Nebraska Board of Pardons commuted Fugate's sentence to 30–50 years, making her eligible for parole. Governor
J. James Exon and Secretary of State Allen Beermann voted in favor of the commutation, while Attorney General Clarence A. H. Meyer dissented.
Release from prison
Considered to be a model prisoner, Fugate was
parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
d on June 20, 1976 from York Women's Reformatory in
York, Nebraska
York is a city in and the county seat of York County, Nebraska, United States. At the 2010 census, the city population was 7,766. It is the home of York College and the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women.
History
York was platted in 1869. ...
, after serving 18 years incarceration. She lived for a time in the
Lansing, Michigan, area after being paroled. Following her release, Fugate worked as a janitorial assistant. She has since retired.
In 2007, Fugate married Fredrick Clair, a machinist who also worked as a weather observer for the
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...
. Their most recent city of residence was
Hillsdale, Michigan
Hillsdale is the largest city and county seat of Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,036 at the 2020 census.
The city is the home of Hillsdale College, a private liberal arts college noted for its academics ...
.
Fugate was seriously injured on August 5, 2013, in a single-vehicle accident near
Tekonsha, Michigan
Tekonsha is a village in Tekonsha Township, Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 717 at the 2010 census.
Tekonsha is the birthplace of Talbert A ...
. Her husband, who was driving their sport utility vehicle when it went off the road and overturned, died at the scene.
[.]
Fugate, going by her married name of Caril Ann Clair, was denied a
pardon by the Nebraska Board of Pardons in February 2020. Her pardon application was supported by relatives of the murder victims. She maintained her innocence in the 1958 slayings, and requested a pardon to "alleviate the burden" of being known as a convicted killer. Her pardon was denied because the role of a pardon is to restore a felon's rights and because her request was too broad for the parole board.
In popular culture
Film and television
The Starkweather–Fugate case inspired the films ''
The Sadist'' (1963), ''
Badlands
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...
'' (1973), ''
Kalifornia
''Kalifornia'' is a 1993 American road thriller film directed by Dominic Sena, in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film tells the story of a journalist (Duchovny) a ...
'' (1993), ''
Natural Born Killers
''Natural Born Killers'' is a 1994 American crime film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Sizemore. The film tells the story of two victims of traumatic childho ...
'' (1994) and ''
Starkweather'' (2004). The made-for-TV movie ''
Murder in the Heartland'' (1993) is a biographical depiction of Fugate and Starkweather, with
Fairuza Balk
Fairuza Balk (born May 21, 1974) is an American actress, musician, and visual artist. Influential in popular culture, Balk is known for her portrayals of distinctive " goth-girl" characters, often with a dark edge. She has appeared in numerous i ...
and
Tim Roth
Timothy Simon Roth (born 14 May 1961) is an English actor and producer. He began acting on films and television series in the 1980s. He was among a group of prominent British actors of the era, the " Brit Pack".
He made his television debut ...
in the starring roles. ''
Stark Raving Mad'' (1983), a film starring Russell Fast and Marcie Severson, provides a fictionalized account of the Starkweather–Fugate murder spree.
The 1996
Peter Jackson film ''
The Frighteners
''The Frighteners'' is a 1996 supernatural comedy horror film directed by Peter Jackson and co-written with Fran Walsh. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Dee Wallace Stone, Jeffrey Combs, R. Lee Ermey an ...
'' features central plot elements with characters almost identical to Starkweather and Fugate, who commit a murder spree. The fourth episode, "Dangerous Liaisons", of season four from the ID series ''
Deadly Women
''Deadly Women'' is an American true crime documentary television series produced by Beyond International Group and airing on the Investigation Discovery (ID) network.
The series focuses on murders committed by women. It is hosted by forme ...
'' (aired September 2, 2010) was about the Starkweather–Fugate murders. The first episode, "Teenage Wasteland", of season four from the
Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...
series ''A Crime to Remember'' (aired December 6, 2016) portrays the murders and subsequent trial. "The Thirteenth Step", the January 11, 2011, episode of ''
Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It ...
'', depicts newlyweds on a North Dakota-Montana killing spree similar to the Starkweather–Fugate case.
Literature
The 1974 book ''Caril'' is an
unauthorized biography
An unauthorized biography is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after their death; as such, it is not applied to biographi ...
of Fugate written by Ninette Beaver, B.K. Ripley (pen name of
Alexandra Ripley
Alexandra Ripley ( Braid; January 8, 1934 – January 10, 2004) was an American writer best known as the author of '' Scarlett'' (1991), written as a sequel to '' Gone with the Wind''. Her first novel was ''Who's the Lady in the President's Bed ...
), and Patrick Trese. Liza Ward, the granddaughter of victims C. Lauer and Clara Ward, wrote the 2004 novel ''
Outside Valentine'', based on the events of the Starkweather–Fugate murder-spree. The book ''Pro Bono: The 18-Year Defense of Caril Ann Fugate'' by Jeff McArthur follows Fugate's defense team through the trial and appeals process.
In 2011, art photographer
Christian Patterson released ''Redheaded Peckerwood'', a collection of photos taken each January from 2005 to 2010 along the 500 mile route traversed by Starkweather and Fugate. The book includes reproductions of documents and photographs of objects that belonged to Starkweather, Fugate, and their victims.
Music
*
Bruce Springsteen's 1982 song
"Nebraska" is a first-person narrative based on the Starkweather murders.
*The San Francisco pop-punk Band
J Church's 1994 song "Hate So Real" was based on the Starkweather/Fugate case, including the names of several victims and the line, "Now Caril can't deny me/and to this day I swear/she should be sittin' on my lap when I go to the chair." Additionally, the song "In Vain" from their 1993 release ''Yellow, Blue and Green'' used pictures of the two in its artwork.
*Nebraska-based
electropop trio
Icky Blossoms
Icky Blossoms is an electropop trio formed in Omaha, Nebraska in 2011, bringing together singer/synth player Sarah Bohling and singer/multi-instrumentalists Derek Pressnall and Nik Fackler. The three became acquainted through the Omaha arts scene ...
featured a song entitled "Stark Weather" on their self-titled debut album. It is narrated from Starkweather's point of view and includes references to his killing of Fugate's mother, stepfather, and half-sister.
*
Nicole Dollanganger
Nicole Ann Bell (born September 8, 1991), known professionally as Nicole Dollanganger, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and artist.
Dollanganger's music is characterized by a feminine, high-pitched vocal style, minimal instrumentation, and lyrica ...
's song "Nebraska" (featured on her album ''Flowers of Flesh and Blood'') is a retelling of the murders; though Starkweather is never actually named, Fugate is mentioned in a line which states "
eshowed his Caril Ann how to use a knife/picked it up slowly/killed with it twice".
*The crime is mentioned in
Billy Joel's song "
We Didn't Start the Fire
"We Didn't Start the Fire" is a song written and published by American musician Billy Joel. The song was released as a single on September 18, 1989, and later released as part of Joel's album '' Storm Front'' on October 17, 1989. A list song, i ...
" with the line "Starkweather homicide.."
*The 2009
Church of Misery song "Badlands (Charles Starkweather & Caril Fugate)" is about the Starkweather murders.
References
External links
''Life'' magazine article Feb. 10, 1958
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fugate, Caril Ann
1943 births
20th-century American criminals
American female criminals
American female murderers
American people convicted of murder
American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
American spree killers
Criminals from Nebraska
Living people
Minors convicted of murder
People convicted of murder by Nebraska
People from Hillsdale, Michigan
People from Lincoln, Nebraska
People paroled from life sentence
Place of birth missing (living people)
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Nebraska
Criminal duos