Mystery Files (2010)
S01E06 Billy the Kid
Episode Overview
In the late 1870s, Billy the Kid emerges as one of the most notorious outlaws of the American Wild West, a teenage murderer wreaking havoc across New Mexico. Folklore claims he killed 21 men, one for each year he lived. However, in 1881, at just 21 years old, he is shot down by his former friend turned lawman, Pat Garrett. Yet, the truth behind this legendary figure is far more complex. Known by various names—Henry McCarty, Henry Antrim, William H. Bonney—his journey begins at 15, when he was caught stealing clothes after becoming an orphan. After escaping from jail, he arrives in Lincoln, New Mexico, where he meets English businessman John Tunstall, who offers him a job, a gun, and a horse, changing his fate.