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10 Horrifying Things To Know About the Clutter Family Murders in 1959

The Clutter Family murders took place in the early morning hours of 15^th November 1959 where four family members were killed. Herb Clutter, his wife Bonnie Cluster, and teenage girls, Nancy and Kenyon were murdered at their rural home. Ex-convicts Perry Smith and Richard Hickock were the assailants who killed the four members of the Clutter Family.

Herbert Clutter was a very prosperous farmer in western Kansas with four children, but her two elder daughters, Eveanna and Beverly had moved out of the home. Their two daughters were bright at their schools while his wife was alleged to be incapacitated by clinical depression and physical ailments brought about by the birth of her children. The two ex-convicts were out on parole but were given the idea of robbing the Clutter family by Floyd Wells who was a cellmate of Richard and a worker of Herb.

The initial plan by Richard and Perry was to get safe Herb they were told that it kept huge sums of money and get away without doing harm to the family. However, on that fateful night, the two entered the Clutter’s home through an unlocked door and started terrorizing the family. The four members of the Clutter Family were tied up as the two ex-convicts ransacked the home searching for the safe.

Richard and Perry never found the safe which made them angry and decided to kill the four and avoid having any witnesses. Herb’s neck was slit and was shot in the head as well as his wife and children. The two were arrested after six weeks of hiding, tried, and sentenced to death. They were handed death sentences and got hanged.

Here are the 10 Horrifying Things To Know About the Clutter Family Murders in 1959:

1. The Clutter Family was Sold Out by their Employee and Ex-convict

The Clutter Family murders were not the initial plan of the two ex-convicts. Richard and Perry had planned to rob the Clutter family after they were given an idea by Floyd Wells. Wells was a former cellmate of Richard who sold out the Clutter family where he was a farmhand for Herbert Clutter.

Floyd Wells had told Richard that Herb kept huge amounts of cash in a safe that he kept in his home. With the motivation from Wells, Richard contacted Perry and explained to him his plan of robbing the Clutter family. They had initially planned to rob the family and flee to Mexico where they could start a new life. However, the plan changed later.

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2. Two Elder Daughters of the Clutter Family had Moved Out of their Home

Herb Clutter and his wife Bonnie Clutter were blessed with four daughters. Eveanna Clutter and Beverly Clutter were the eldest who survived the brutal murders of their families.

The two had moved away from their family home as they went to start their adult lives. Unfortunately, 16-year-old Nancy and 15-year-old Kenyon alongside their parents were home during the murders.

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3. The Ex-convicts Drove More than 640 KM to Execute their Plan

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Richard and Perry had hatched a proper plan on how they could attack the Clutter family and get away with their money in a safe as directed by Floyd Wells. On the evening of 14^th November 1959, the two drove across the state of Kansas heading to the Clutter Family home.

They had to drive over six hundred forty kilometers (400 miles) to execute their evil plan. In the early morning of 15^th November, the two got to Holcomb, managed to locate the home of the Clutters, and gained entry into the home through an unlocked door.

4. Richard & Perry Tied and Gagged the Clutter Family before Ransacking their House

, , via Wikimedia Commons

After gaining access to the home, the two ex-convicts roused the Clutters as their mission began. Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon were pushed into a bathroom while Herb was led to his office. Richard and Perry ransacked the house for the safe which they did not find.

Bonnie had her hands tied and got gagged and then tucked in a room on the second floor, Nancy was tied too inexplicably but not gagged, and tucked in bed. Kenyon and Herb were taken to the basement where they had their hands tied and gagged. After Herbert was bound and gagged, he was pushed onto a mattress box in the furnace room.

5. Richard & Perry Got Furious and Vicious on the Family after not Finding the Safe

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When the family was firmly bound and immobilized by the two invaders of their home, the search for the safe with money continued. Richard returned to the basement disappointed and angry for not finding the money they were told by Wells.

The two had planned that they were not to leave any witnesses. However, they had to debate their next step after missing what they had come for. They turned out to become vicious on the Clutters family.

6. Herbert was Killed by Slitting His Throat and got Shot

Photo by cottonbro studio:

Perry Smith was known to be occasionally unstable and prone to fits of rage. With his fury and rage, Perry went ahead and began their rampage of killing the Clutter family.

He slit the throat of Herb Clutter who was their first victim. After slitting his throat, Perry used his shotgun to shoot and kill Herbert Clutter.

7. The Rest of the Clutter Family Members were Killed by Shooting using a Shotgun

Photo by cottonbro studio:

After killing Herbert Clutter by slitting his throat and shooting him in the head, Perry and Richard went ahead to eliminate the remaining family members. The two entered the playroom where Perry shot and killed Kenyon.

The pair went upstairs and entered the second floor of Nancy’s room where she was shot and killed. Bonnie Clutter was the last one to be killed by a gunshot wound to the side of her head.

8. Richard had Planned to Rape Nancy

The initial plan of Richard Hickock and Perry Smith was to rob the Clutter family’s money and leave. However, after failing to find the money, they decided to kill them and not spare any witnesses.

Richard had also hatched another plan in his mind as they were killing the family. He had planned to rape 16-year-old Nancy before killing her. However, Perry talked him out of doing the act.

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9. The Pair Fled the Crime Scene with Some Items Belonging to the Clutters

After murdering all four members of the family, Richard and Perry fled the scene with some belongings of the Clutter Family. They took a Zenith portable radio belonging to Kenyon Clutter, a pair of binoculars belonging to Herb Clutter, and less than $50 in cash (approximately $480 in 2022), thought to be leftover from a $60 check cashed the day before.

Herb was well-known in the neighborhood for preferring to pay by check, and he rarely carried large sums of cash on his person or maintained at the house. His billfold and various belongings were discovered scattered about his first-floor bedroom, but no cash was discovered.

10. Richard and Perry were Arrested, and Sentenced to Death by Hanging

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Perry and Richard were apprehended on 30^th December, six weeks after the murders, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was after a thorough investigation by personnel of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Their trial was held at the Finney County Courthouse in Garden City after they were extradited back to Kansas. The pair was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and condemned to death.

They were both hung on 14^th April 1965, at the Kansas State Prison near Lansing, just North of Kansas City. Richard was the first to be executed and was pronounced dead at 12:41 a.m. Perry Smith was executed shortly after and was pronounced dead at 1:19 a.m.

The murdered members of the Clutter Family were buried at Valley View Cemetery after a burial ceremony attended by 1,000 mourners. Herb and Bonnie’s graves are in the center with a double headstone, Nancy’s on the left with a single headstone, and Kenyon’s on the right.

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