At 13, Caril Ann Fugate was introduced to Charles Starkweather, who was five years her senior, by her older sister. The teenager, who grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, was immediately captivated by Charles's charm and his flamboyant, Hollywood-actor-like style.

Charles initially appeared kind, teaching Caril to drive, but his darker side gradually emerged. He had been bullied in school for his bow legs and stutter, dropping out of high school with an IQ four points below normal. He currently worked as a garbage truck driver.

Charles was described as short-tempered, easily agitated, and socially alienated. Caril later shared that she tried to break up with Charles: "I kept telling him to leave, said I never wanted to see him again but he kept coming back".

However, Charles seemed obsessed with Caril. When he murdered his first victim, a gas station attendant, on 1/12/1957, Charles claimed he wanted to steal 100 USD to run away with Caril.

The teenage couple's crime spree

On 21/1/1958, Charles struck again. This time, he targeted his girlfriend's family. Caril's mother, stepfather, and two-year-old half-sister were all murdered.

Contrary to Charles's testimony, Caril asserted she had no knowledge of her family's massacre. In her pardon application, Caril stated that she returned home to find Charles pointing a gun at her. According to Caril, Charles told her that her family was being held hostage by two members of his gang.

"He threatened me that if I didn't do everything he said, he would call his gang to kill my whole family, and it would be my fault", Caril recounted.

The couple disposed of the bodies and stayed at Caril's house for several days. Later, police found the bodies in strange locations: Caril's stepfather was stuffed into a chicken coop, her mother was hidden in an outhouse, and her sister was placed in a carton near her mother.

After neighbors began to grow suspicious, Charles and Caril fled their home, embarking on a violent adventure.

Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate in an undated photo, before their crime spree in Nebraska and Wyoming. *Photo: AP*

Six days later, the couple together carried out one of the most notorious murder sprees in American history. They shot and killed a 70-year-old farmer, murdered two high school students to steal their car, then broke into a house and killed a wealthy couple along with their maid.

Caril maintained she did not participate in any of the murders, but admitted to taking a wallet from one of the dying high school students.

When the bodies were discovered, police organized a large-scale manhunt, searching every house in the area and even mobilizing the National Guard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The mayor of Lincoln offered a 1,000 USD reward.

On 29/1/1958, while fleeing to Wyoming, Charles and Caril stopped their car behind a traveling shoe salesman who was sleeping in his Buick. Charles shot the man to steal his car, but the sight of two cars stopped on the roadside attracted the attention of another driver and a police officer.

As Charles and the driver struggled over a rifle, the police officer drove closer. Seeing an opportunity, Caril ran towards the officer and screamed: "Save me! Save me! He's going to shoot me!".

Charles sped away but was shot, deciding to surrender for medical attention. Both he and Caril were arrested and charged with murder.

Victim or accomplice?

Upon her arrest, Caril claimed she knew nothing about the deaths of her three relatives, stating that Charles had orchestrated the entire crime spree. Charles initially supported his girlfriend's testimony, but later changed his story, saying that Caril voluntarily participated in the murders.

"He must hate me now for running away. He's trying to make everyone think I'm as guilty as he is", Caril said at a press conference when asked why Charles accused her of being an accomplice.

Charles was convicted and sentenced to death by electric chair. Caril, the youngest woman charged with first-degree murder at the time, was also convicted after Charles testified against her. Due to evidence suggesting Caril had opportunities to leave Charles but did not take them, she was sentenced to life in prison.

Charles was executed on 25/6/1959, but Caril served only 17 years thanks to a reduced sentence.

Caril Ann Fugate, 14, smiles at photographers from the back seat of a car, 31/1/1958. *Photo: AP*

After her release from prison, Caril gradually returned to a normal life. She worked as a medical technician and a cleaner before retiring, marrying in 2007 (her husband passed away in 2013).

This notorious case was re-enacted in films such as *Badlands* (1973) and *Natural Born Killers* (1994). Although compared to the Bonnie and Clyde killer duo for following Charles on his crime spree, Caril always maintained her innocence. In 2020, she filed for a full pardon to clear her name.

According to the Washington Post, Caril wrote in her pardon application: "It is unbearable for me that future generations of my children are misled into believing that I knew and/or witnessed the deaths of my loved ones and willingly accompanied Charles Starkweather on the rampage. A pardon could somewhat alleviate this terrible burden".

However, Caril's pardon application was denied. Perhaps no one will ever know exactly what transpired between Charles and Caril during their brief but bloody crime spree. Was Caril an innocent victim, as she claimed? Or was she an aggressive accomplice, as Charles testified? Only Caril knows the answer.