New Mexico Considers Pardon for Billy the Kid

The legendary gunslinger reportedly struck a deal in 1879 that was never honoured.

It’s about 130 years too late, but Billy the Kid may finally be pardoned for his crimes. During his short lifetime, the Kid (whose real name was Henry McCarty) gained infamy for killing 21 people before the age of 21, but it’s believed he was promised a pardon in 1879 in exchange for his testimony at a murder trial. McCarty testified but was never pardoned, and escaped from custody before being killed by a U.S. sheriff in 1881. McCarty’s descendants have asked for his pardon to be honoured several times, but recently Governor Bill Richardson received a formal petition to do so and has set up a website dedicated to the issue to collect feedback from lawyers and historians.