Charles Raymond Starkweather (November 24, 1938 – June 25, 1959)
was an American
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 ...
who murdered eleven people in
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 southwe ...
and
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, 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 south ...
between December 1957 and January 1958, when he was nineteen years old.
He killed ten of his victims between January 21 and January 29, 1958, the date of his arrest. During his spree in 1958, Starkweather was accompanied by his fourteen-year-old girlfriend,
Caril Ann Fugate.
Both Starkweather and Fugate were convicted on charges for their parts in the homicides; Starkweather was sentenced to death and executed seventeen months after the events. Fugate served seventeen years in prison, gaining release in 1976.
Starkweather's execution by
electric chair
An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...
in 1959 was the last
execution in Nebraska until 1994, when
Harold Lamont Otey
Harold Lamont "Walkin' Wili" Otey (August 1, 1951 – September 2, 1994) was an American criminal convicted of the 1977 rape and murder of Jane McManus, a 26-year-old photography student, in Omaha, Nebraska. Despite recanting his confession and ma ...
was executed for murder.
The Starkweather case has been analyzed by criminologists and psychologists in an attempt to understand spree killers' motivations and precipitating factors.
It also became notorious as one of the earlier crime scandals that reached national prominence, much like the
kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's son with the media outlets covering the case at the time openly condemning Starkweather.
Early life
Starkweather was born 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 ...
, the third of seven children of Guy and Helen Starkweather.
[Charles Starkweather](_blank)
, biography.com; accessed June 21, 2015. The Starkweathers were a working-class family; Starkweather's father was a carpenter who was often unemployed due to
rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involv ...
in his hands; Helen worked as a waitress to supplement the family's income.
Starkweather attended Saratoga Elementary School, Irving Junior High School, and
Lincoln High School. In contrast to his family life, Starkweather later recalled nothing positive of his time at school.
He was born with
genu varum
Genu varum (also called bow-leggedness, bandiness, bandy-leg, and tibia vara) is a varus deformity marked by (outward) bowing at the knee, which means that the lower leg is angled inward ( medially) in relation to the thigh's axis, giving the ...
, a mild
birth defect
A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can ...
that caused his legs to be misshapen, and was teased by classmates because he had a
speech impediment
Speech disorders or speech impairments are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute. Speech skills are ...
.
As he grew older and stronger, the only subject in which Starkweather excelled was gym,
where he found an outlet for his rage against those who bullied him. Starkweather then began to bully those who had once picked on him.
[World of Criminal Justice on Charles Starkweather](_blank)
BookRags.com; accessed June 21, 2015. Eventually he felt rage against anyone he disliked. In this period as a young teenager, Starkweather went from being one of the most well-behaved teenagers in the community to one of the most troubled. His high school friend Bob von Busch would later recall:
By the time Starkweather dropped out of school, his parents and family were reportedly afraid of him due to his violent outbursts.
Relationship with Caril Ann Fugate
In 1956, at eighteen, Starkweather was introduced to thirteen-year-old Caril Ann Fugate.
Starkweather dropped out of high school in his senior year and took a job at a newspaper warehouse
because it was near Fugate's school; he began to visit her every day after school.
Starkweather taught Fugate how to drive, and one day she crashed the car belonging to Starkweather's father, who banished Starkweather from the family home. Starkweather quit his warehouse job and became a garbage collector.
Starkweather began developing a
nihilistic
Nihilism (; ) is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning of life, meaning. The term was pop ...
worldview, believing that his current situation was the final determinant of how he would live the rest of his life, while striving only to satisfy his biological needs and acquire power over others.
He began plotting bank robberies, and settled on a personal philosophy: "Dead people are all on the same level".
First murder
Late on November 30, 1957, Starkweather became angry at Robert Colvert, a service station attendant in Lincoln, for refusing to sell him a stuffed animal on
credit
Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt), ...
. He returned several times during the night to purchase small items, until finally, brandishing a shotgun, he forced Colvert to give him $100 from the till. He drove Colvert to a remote area, where they struggled over the gun, injuring Colvert before Starkweather killed him with several shots.
1958 murder spree
On January 21, 1958, Starkweather went to Fugate's home.
Fugate's mother and stepfather, Velda and Marion Bartlett, told him to stay away. He fatally shot them, then clubbed to death their two-year-old daughter Betty Jean.
[Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate]
retrieved (December 9, 2009) He hid the bodies behind the house.
Starkweather later said that Caril was there the entire time, but she said that when she arrived home, Starkweather met her with a gun and said that her family was being held hostage. She said Starkweather told her that if she cooperated with him, her family would be safe; otherwise, they would be killed. The pair remained in the house until shortly before the police, alerted by Fugate's suspicious grandmother, arrived on January 27.
[
Starkweather and Fugate drove to the farmhouse of seventy-year-old August Meyer, one of her family's friends who lived in ]Bennet, Nebraska
Bennet is a village in Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 719 at the 2010 census.
History
Bennet was platted in 1871 when the railroad was extended to ...
. Starkweather killed him with a shotgun blast to the head. He also killed Meyer's dog.
Fleeing the area, the pair drove their car into mud and abandoned the vehicle. When Robert Jensen and Carol King, two local teenagers, stopped to give them a ride, Starkweather forced them to drive back to an abandoned storm cellar
A storm shelter or storm cellar is a type of underground bunker designed to protect the occupants from violent severe weather, particularly tornadoes. They are most frequently seen in the Midwest ("Tornado Alley") and Southeastern United States ( ...
in Bennet. He shot Jensen in the back of the head. He attempted to rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
King, but was unable to do so. He became angry with her and fatally shot her as well. Starkweather later admitted shooting Jensen, but claimed that Fugate shot King. Fugate said she had stayed in the car the entire time. The two fled Bennet in Jensen's car.
Starkweather and Fugate drove to a wealthy section of Lincoln, where they entered the home of industrialist C. Lauer Ward and his wife Clara. Starkweather stabbed their maid Ludmila "Lilyan" Fencl to death, then waited for Lauer and Clara to return home. Starkweather killed the family dog by breaking its neck, to keep it from alerting the Wards. Clara arrived first alone, and was also stabbed to death. Starkweather later admitted to having thrown a knife at Clara, but insisted that Fugate had stabbed her numerous times, killing her. When Lauer Ward returned home that evening, Starkweather shot and killed him. Starkweather and Fugate filled Ward's black 1956 Packard
Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958.
One of the "Thr ...
with stolen jewelry from the house and fled Nebraska.
The murders of the Wards and Fencl caused an uproar within Lancaster County.[ Law enforcement agencies in the region sent their officers on a house-to-house search for the perpetrators. ]Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Victor Emanuel Anderson
Victor Emanuel Anderson (March 30, 1902 – August 15, 1962) was an American politician from the state of Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Nebraska Legislature, as mayor of the capital city of Lincoln, and as the 28 ...
contacted the Nebraska National Guard
The Nebraska National Guard consists of the:
*Nebraska Army National Guard
*Nebraska Air National Guard
See also
*Nebraska State Guard
References
External linksBibliography of Nebraska Army National Guard Historycompiled by the United States ...
, and the Lincoln chief of police called for a block-by-block search of that city. After several sightings of Starkweather and Fugate were reported, the Lincoln Police Department was accused of incompetence for being unable to capture the pair.
Needing a new car because of Ward's Packard having been identified, the couple came upon traveling salesman Merle Collison sleeping in his Buick
Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...
along the highway outside Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
*Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
, Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, 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 south ...
. After Collison was awakened, he was fatally shot. Starkweather later accused Fugate of performing a coup-de-grace after his shotgun jammed. Starkweather claimed Fugate was the "most trigger happy person" he had ever met. Fugate denied ever having killed anyone.
The salesman's car had a parking brake
In road vehicles, the parking brake, also known as a handbrake or emergency brake (e-brake), is a mechanism used to keep the vehicle securely motionless when parked. Parking brakes often consist of a cable connected to two wheel brakes, which is ...
, which was something new to Starkweather. While he attempted to drive away, the car stalled because the brake had not been released. He tried to restart the engine, and a passing motorist, geologist Joe Sprinkle, stopped to help. Starkweather threatened him with the rifle, and an altercation ensued. At that moment, Natrona County
Natrona County is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 79,955, making it the second-most populous county in Wyoming. Its county seat is Casper.
Natrona County comprises the Casper, WY ...
Sheriff's Deputy William Romer arrived on the scene. Fugate ran to him, yelling something to the effect of: "It's Starkweather! He's going to kill me!"
Starkweather drove off and was involved in a car chase with three officers (Natrona County Sheriff's Deputy William Romer, Douglas Police Chief Robert Ainslie, and Converse County Sheriff Earl Heflin), exceeding speeds of . A bullet fired by Sheriff Earl Heflin shattered the windshield and flying glass cut Starkweather deep enough to cause bleeding. He stopped, surrendered, and was captured near Douglas, Wyoming on January 29, 1958. Converse County Sheriff Earl Heflin said, "He thought he was bleeding to death. That's why he stopped. That's the kind of yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...
son of a bitch he is."
Trial and execution
Starkweather chose to be extradited from Wyoming to Nebraska. He and Fugate arrived there in late January 1958. He believed that either state would have executed him. He was not aware, however, that Milward Simpson
Milward Lee Simpson (November 12, 1897June 11, 1993) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Senator and as the 23rd Governor of Wyoming, the first born in the state. In 1985, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the Nati ...
, Wyoming's governor at the time, opposed the death penalty
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
. Starkweather first said that he had kidnapped Fugate and that she had nothing to do with the murders. However, he changed his story several times. He testified against her at her trial, saying that she was a willing participant.[Sawyers, June Skinner (2006). ''Tougher Than the Rest: 100 Best Bruce Springsteen Songs''. Omnibus Press. pp. 69–75. .]
Fugate has always maintained that Starkweather was holding her hostage by threatening to kill her family, claiming she was unaware they were already dead. Judge Harry A. Spencer did not believe Fugate was held hostage by Starkweather, as he determined she had had numerous opportunities to escape. When Starkweather was first taken to the Nebraska penitentiary after his trial, he said that he believed that he was supposed to die. He said if he was to be executed, then Fugate should be also.
Starkweather was convicted for the murder of Jensen, the only murder for which he was tried. On May 23, 1958, he was sentenced to death, and Starkweather was executed in the electric chair
An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...
at the Nebraska State Penitentiary
The Nebraska State Penitentiary (NSP) is a state correctional facility for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Located in Lincoln, it is the oldest state correctional facility in Nebraska, opening in 1869. Until after World War I, ...
in Lincoln, Nebraska, at 12:04 a.m. on June 25, 1959. Starkweather gave no last words but in a letter from prison to his parents, wrote "But dad I'm not real sorry for what I did cause for the first time me and Caril have (sic) more fun." He was reportedly indifferent about his impending death and had become resigned to his fate.
Following the execution, Starkweather was buried in Wyuka Cemetery
Wyuka Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.
In 1890, Lincoln's Bnai Jeshurun Congregation, a Reform congregation, began using a section of Wyuka.
History
Wyuka Cemetery was established in Lincoln, Nebraska, by an act of the ...
in Lincoln, as are five of his victims, including Mr. and Mrs. Carl Ward.
Fugate was convicted as an accomplice and received a life sentence
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
on November 21, 1958. She was paroled in June 1976 after serving seventeen-and-a-half-years 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. ...
. She settled in 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 ...
.
Victims
# Robert Colvert (21), gas station attendant
# Marion Bartlett (58), Fugate's stepfather
# Velda Bartlett (36), Fugate's mother
# Betty Jean Bartlett (2), Velda and Marion Bartlett's daughter; Fugate's half sister
# August Meyer (70), Fugate's family's friend
# Robert Jensen (17), boyfriend to Carol King
# Carol King (16), girlfriend to Robert Jensen
# Lillian Fencl (51), Clara Ward's maid
# Clara Ward (46), C. Lauer Ward's wife
# C. Lauer Ward (47), wealthy industrialist
# Merle Collison (34), traveling salesman
Starkweather also killed two family dogs of people that he murdered.
In popular culture
Representation in 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) ...
'' (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).
* "A Case Study of Two Savages," a 1962 episode of the TV series '' Naked City'', was also inspired by the Starkweather killings.
* The 1968 first season Robert Stack-segment episode; 'The Bobby Currier Story', of '' The Name of the Game'', was also based on these events.
* The made-for-TV movie ''Murder in the Heartland
''Murder in the Heartland'' is a television miniseries that aired on ABC in 1993. It was based on the 1957–58 murder spree carried out by 19-year-old Charles Starkweather throughout Nebraska and Wyoming. Starkweather is played by Tim Roth. The ...
'' (1993) is a biographical depiction of Starkweather, with 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 (actors), Brit Pack".
He made hi ...
in the starring role.
* '' Stark Raving Mad'' (1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
), a feature film starring Russell Fast and Marcie Severson, is a fictionalized account of the Starkweather–Fugate murder spree.
* The Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
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 ...
'' (1996) features a Starkweather-inspired killer who goes on a similar murder spree, and has a female accomplice.
* The fourth episode, "Dangerous Liaisons" (aired September 2, 2010), 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 former ...
'', covers the murders.
*"Teenage Wasteland", the Season 4 premiere episode (aired December 6, 2016) from the ID series ''A Crime to Remember
''A Crime to Remember'' is an American documentary television series that airs on Investigation Discovery and premiered on November 12, 2013. It tells the stories of notorious crimes that captivated attention of the media and the public when t ...
'', also covers the Starkweather–Fugate murder spree.
*In "Fun with Chemistry", Season 1 Episode 7 of Breakout Kings
''Breakout Kings'' is an American drama television series that aired on the A&E network. It is a production of Fox 21. The series was created, written, and executive-produced by Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead, who previously worked together on ...
, Starkweather and Fugate are mention as spree killers.
Literature
* Wright Morris
Wright Marion Morris (January 6, 1910 – April 25, 1998) was an American novelist, photographer, and essayist. He is known for his portrayals of the people and artifacts of the Great Plains in words and pictures, as well as for experimenting w ...
' 1960 novel ''Ceremony at Lone Tree'' is based, in part, on Starkweather's murders.
* 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 Caril Ann Fugate written by Ninette Beaver.
* Liza Ward, the granddaughter of victims C. Lauer and Clara Ward, wrote the novel '' Outside Valentine'' (2004), based on the events of the Starkweather–Fugate murders.
* The novel ''Not Comin' Home to You'' (1974) by Lawrence Block
Lawrence Block (born June 24, 1938) is an American crime writer best known for two long-running New York-set series about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block was named a Grand Mas ...
has fictional events that are similar to the Starkweather and Fugate spree.
* Horror author Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
has said that he was strongly influenced by reading about the Starkweather murders when he was a youth, and that he kept a scrapbook of articles about them.
Visual arts
* In 2011, art photographer Christian Patterson released ''Redheaded Peckerwood'', a collection of photos made 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. Patterson had discovered several of these objects while making his photographs and they had never been seen publicly before or identified with these figures.
* The comic book series ''Northlanders
''Northlanders'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint. The stories are fictional but set in and around historical events during the Viking Age.
Northlanders is written by Brian Wood, illustrated b ...
'' referred to the murder spree in its 2010 story arc ''Metal''.
Music
* Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
's 1982 song "Nebraska" is a first-person narrative based on the Starkweather murders.
* J Church's 1993 song "Hate So Real" retells the Starkweather murders.
* "Starkweather homicide" is referenced in the lyrics to singer-songwriter Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
's 1989 music single, "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 ...
".
* The 2009 Church of Misery
is a Japanese doom metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1995. Church of Misery's musical style melds early Black Sabbath-style doom with psychedelic rock; most of the band's songs are about serial killers and mass murderers.
Bassist Tatsu Mikami ...
song "Badlands (Charles Starkweather & Caril Fugate)" is about the Starkweather murders.
* A picture of Starkweather's arrest was used as a backdrop on singer-songwriter Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...
's 2019 live tour, during the song "Jack The Ripper".
* 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 2012 song Nebraska details the events of the Starkweather murders.
* The band Blood for Blood featured a photo of Charles Starkweather on the cover of their 1997 7” “ Enemy (Blood for Blood album)”.
* The Philadelphia metalcore band Starkweather took their name from Charles Starkweather.
* "C.Redux" is a menacing ode to the legend of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate by the Washington D.C. proto-punk band (The) Razz.
Video games
* Lionel Starkweather, a snuff film
A snuff film, or snuff movie, or snuff video, is a type of film that shows, or purports to show, scenes of actual homicide. The concept of snuff films became known to the general public during the 1970s, when an urban legend alleged that a cland ...
director inspired by the eponymous murderer, is the primary antagonist in the stealth-horror game ''Manhunt
Manhunt may refer to:
Search processes
* Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive
* Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies
Social organisations
* Manhun ...
''. He is voiced by Brian Cox.
See also
* Capital punishment in Nebraska
* Crime in Nebraska
* List of people executed in Nebraska
The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Nebraska since its statehood.
__NOTOC__ Before 1903
The first execution in Nebraska reportedly belonged to Cyrus Tator, a former Kansas Legislature member and judge in Lykins County, ...
* List of rampage killers in the United States
This section of the list of rampage killers contains those cases that occurred in the United States.
This section does not include school massacres; workplace killings; religious, political or racial crimes; or mass murders that took place p ...
Footnotes
References
*Allen, William. ''Starkweather: Inside the Mind of a Teenage Killer''. (2004), Emmis Books, 240 pages.
*
*Del Harding, reporter for the Lincoln, Nebr., Star, who covered the murders, the Starkweather and Fugate trials, and Starkweather's execution.
*
*
External links
* Bardsley, Marilyn
Charles Starkweather & Caril Fugate
''Crime Library
Crime Library was a website documenting major crimes, criminals, trials, forensics, and criminal profiling from books. It was founded in 1998 and was most recently owned by truTV, a cable TV network that is part of Time Warner's Turner Broadcastin ...
''. Retrieved on 2009-07-30.
*
"Redheaded Peckerwood" on Christian Patterson web site.
Nebraska State Historical Society
Life Magazine article Feb. 10, 1958
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starkweather, Charles
1938 births
1959 deaths
1957 murders in the United States
20th-century American criminals
American male criminals
20th-century executions by Nebraska
20th-century executions of American people
American murderers of children
American people executed for murder
American robbers
American spree killers
Burials in Nebraska
Criminals from Nebraska
Executed spree killers
People convicted of murder by Nebraska
People executed by Nebraska by electric chair
Executed people from Nebraska
People from Lincoln, Nebraska
History of Lincoln, Nebraska
People with speech impediment
Criminal duos
Family murders
Familicides