Lawyer Takes Up Case of Outlaw Billy the Kid

Lawyer Takes Up Case of Outlaw Billy the Kid
Thu Nov 20, 8:17 AM ET

SANTA FE, N.M. (Reuters) - First, he got a gun, then he earned a name as an outlaw in the Wild West, and now Billy the Kid, although long dead, has himself a high-powered lawyer and a chance at a pardon.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has asked Santa Fe attorney Bill Robins to represent the Kid in an investigation into the true fate of the famous Western outlaw, officials from the governor's office said.

A spokesman for Richardson said Robins will support a Lincoln County, New Mexico, sheriff and his deputy as they look into the mystery of Billy the Kid's death.

"It's a volunteer position," said Billy Sparks, Richardson's director of communications. "Robins will facilitate the proper handling of evidence as it appears."

New Mexico has recently reopened the case of Billy the Kid, who is supposed to have died after pistol shots rang through the night in the desert 122 years ago.

There are many stories about the death of Billy the Kid, with the prevailing history saying that Billy was gunned down by one the state's most famous Wild West lawmen, Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881.

There are others who say the Kid fled to England and died of old age, while another story has the gunslinger dying in Hico, Texas at the age of 90.

The Kid, whose real name was Henry McCarty but who also went by William Bonney and Kid Antrim, is supposedly buried near the house in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, where he was gunned down.

One of the first challenges for the Kid's new lawyer will be to intervene in a case and have a local New Mexico court allow the exhumation of the Kid's mother, Catherine Antrim.

A hearing is set for Dec. 8 at the Grant County Courthouse and the body of the Kid's mother may be exhumed for DNA testing for a possible match with a body believed to be the Kid's.

"The governor felt somebody needed to represent Billy's interests," Robins said. "Where it will lead, I'm not sure. I'm hoping this will shed enough light that the governor can ultimately pardon Billy the Kid."