In A Strange Twist, The Man Who Killed Outlaw Billy The Kid Became His Official Biographer

Having begun as friends, Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid’s paths would diverge when Garrett was elected Sheriff and was tasked with bringing the Kid to justice

This article originally appeared on the true crime newsletter Tales From the Underworld. Subscribe for new and exclusive historical true crime content.

Guest Post by Donna Patton

Depiction of Pat Garrett (Image generated via Midjourney)

It’s been said betrayal by a friend is worse than from an enemy.

A fact that played out in the strange saga of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett. An unlikely friendship between an outlaw and a sheriff would later lead to the ultimate betrayal when Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned down Billy the Kid.

In a bizarre twist of circumstances, Garrett would also become the Kid’s biographer and the only source to relate Billy’s death.