Arizona historian and retired professor Robert J. Stahl has petitioned a New Mexico court to order that a death certificate be issued for famous outlaw Billy the Kid in order to end all the rumors surrounding his death.
An Arizona historian has petitioned a New Mexico court to issue a death certificate for the infamous outlaw, Billy the Kid.
Retired Arizona State University professor Robert J. Stahl, also a longtime Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang member, has initiated the action to quell the rumors surrounding the historical figure’s death.
The commonly held belief is that Billy, born William Henry McCarty Jr. on November 23, 1859, escaped from jail in 1881 and ended up on the property of Peter Maxwell where he was shot and killed by Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett.
Garrett collected a $500 reward, an indication that territorial officials accepted his statement of events, including the outcome of death.
However, stories have been circulating that Billy survived the incident, got ma
