Clutter family murdersIn the early morning of November 15, 1959, four members of the Clutter family – Herb Clutter, his wife, Bonnie, and their teenage children Nancy and Kenyon – were murdered in their rural home just outside the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas, United States. Two ex-convicts, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, were found guilty of the murders and sentenced to death. They were both executed on April 14, 1965.
Richard HickockRichard Eugene Hickock (June 6, 1931 – April 14, 1965) was one of two ex-convicts convicted of murdering four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction novelIn Cold Blood. Along with Perry Edward Smith, Hickock took part in the burglary and multiple murders at the Clutter family farmhouse.
Holcomb, KansasHolcomb is a city in Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,245. It is located south of Highway 50. HistoryHolcomb took its name from a local hog farmer. The city was a station and shipping point on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The first post office in Holcomb was established in December 1909. Holcomb was the site of the Clutter family murders in 1959.
True crimeTrue crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's motives. True crime works often deal with violent crimes such as murders and serial killers, including high-profile cases (such as Ted Bundy, Charles Manson and the Zodiac Killer).
Perry Edward SmithPerry Edward Smith (October 27, 1928 – April 14, 1965) was one of two career criminals convicted of murdering the four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, on November 15, 1959, a crime that was made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction novelIn Cold Blood. Along with Richard Hickock, Smith took part in the burglary and quadruple murder at the Clutter family farmhouse.
Non-fiction novelThe non-fiction novel is a literary genre that, broadly speaking, depicts non-fictional elements, such as real historical figures and actual events, and uses the storytelling techniques of fiction. Sometimes they incorporate fictitious conversations. The non-fiction novel is an otherwise loosely defined and flexible genre. The genre is sometimes referred to using the slang term "faction", a portmanteau of the words fact and fiction.
Harper LeeNelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926 – February 19, 2016) was an American novelist whose 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and became a classic of modern American literature. She assisted her close friend Truman Capote in his research for the book In Cold Blood (1966). An earlier draft of Mockingbird, set at a later date, Go Set a Watchman, was published in July 2015 as a sequel.
Truman CapoteTruman Garcia Capote ( kə-POH-tee; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, and he is regarded as one of the founders of New Journalism, along with Gay Talese, Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe.
Helter Skelter (book)Helter Skelter: The True Story of The Manson Murders is a 1974 book by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry. Bugliosi had served as the prosecutor in the 1970 trial of Charles Manson. The book presents his firsthand account of the cases of Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and other members of the self-described Manson Family. It is the best-selling true crime book in history.
Vincent BugliosiVincent T. Bugliosi Jr. (; August 18, 1934 – June 6, 2015) was an American prosecutor and author who served as Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office between 1964 and 1972. He became best known for successfully prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the August 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders.
Charles MansonCharles Milles Manson (né Maddox; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who was the founder of the Manson Family. He gained notoriety for ordering the Tate–LaBianca murders, where his followers murdered nine people around Los Angeles in 1969. Before the murders, Manson had spent more than half of his life in correctional institutions.Home invasionA home invasion, also called a hot prowl burglary, is a sub-type of burglary (or in some jurisdictions, a separately defined crime) in which an offender unlawfully enters into a building residence while the occupants are inside. The overarching intent of a hot prowl burglary can be theft, robbery, assault, sexual assault, murder, kidnapping, or another crime, either by stealth or direct force.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.