Billy the Kid Denied Pardon

By Brian Scott
Dec 31 2010

Soon to be former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced this morning that he would not issue a pardon for famed outlaw Billy the Kid.

For the past several months Richardson has been mulling a possible pardon for Billy the Kid based on the long-held belief that he was promised one by former governor Lew Wallace. But this point has been argued by several historians who dispute the actual findings by the attorney who filed the petition for pardon.

The belief was that Billy the Kid was tapped to testify in a murder trial and in exchange Wallace agreed to pardon Billy the Kid for all of his previous crimes. He was accused of killing up to 21 men over the course of his short life.

But historians have come forward suggesting that Wallace may not have promised the pardon but may have used it as a trick to get Billy the Kid to testify only to renege on the official offer.

Richardson told reporters this morning that the actual history of Billy the Kid and the pardon was far too cloudy to make a rational decision on a pardon, which was enough for him to deny the petition.

However, this is likely not the end of the story for the young outlaw. The attorney who filed the original petition has said that she will likely try again once she has gather more evidence for the case.

Billy the Kid has living relatives, descendants of his only child.