# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Summary- Plot and Highlights

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The surname Clutter may not ring a bell, but it's seared in literary and cinematic history.

The brutal 1959 murders of Herbert and Bonnie Clutter and two of their children, Nancy and Kenyon, were chronicled in Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" and a 1967 movie directed by Richard Brooks. For the film's 50th anniversary, Sundance Channel will air a two-part documentary on the case, "Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders," by filmmaker Joe Berlinger.

"I've always been obsessed with the book," Berlinger tells The Post. "For better or worse, it launched the true crime genre as we know it. I wanted to examine the birth of that movement."

The Clutters were shot and killed by Richard Hickock and Perry Smith during a botched robbery at their Holcomb, Kansas, farm on Nov. 15, 1959. The murderers spent five years on death row before they were executed by hanging on April 14, 1965.

Berlinger's documentary culls archival video, crime scene and family photos, and audio police interrogations with the killers. Some investigators, friends and relatives of the victims also speak for the first time. It took months to get family members, who view the book and movie as sympathetic to the murderers, to take part.

"They wished this entire story would just go away," says Berlinger, 56, who is based in New York. "I think they became convinced that we would be good stewards of their feelings and concerns." (Relatives of Hickock and Smith declined to be interviewed.)

Among the documentary's more gripping moments:

■ Hickock tells police about hearing a "gurgling noise" when Smith slit Herb's throat before killing him with a shotgun blast to the head. "He cut the hell out of him," he says.

■ Don Cullivan, who served with Smith in the Army, visited him in prison, where Smith graphically described shooting Herb. "He said, 'As I pulled the trigger there was a flash of blue light. I could see his head split apart,'" Cullivan says.

"That kind of first-person account is shocking and compelling," says Berlinger, who only interviewed people with a connection to the family or investigation. "My guiding principal was we don't want outside 'experts.'"

■ Actor Scott Wilson, who portrayed Hickock in the movie opposite Robert Blake as Smith, had a visceral reaction to it. "After I saw the film, I went to the bathroom and threw up," he says.

■ A Capote visit to the family farm - seen in black-and-white photos - is called "a violation" by Herb and Bonnie's niece, Diana Edwards. "We were expecting some level of honesty and insight because the family was not happy about how they were portrayed and never heard from Capote after the book came out," Berlinger says.

Berlinger screened the completed documentary in advance for some of the Clutters' relatives.

"They felt we did a good job of getting the family's story out there," he says, adding that they had mixed feelings "about the story being told again. They don't understand why people are still fascinated by it."
Sundance TV will air a "True Crime Weekend" movie marathon from 6 .m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Monday. "In Cold Blood" airs Sunday at 11 p.m. "Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders" 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on Sundance

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The real-life horror behind 'In Cold Blood'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The surname Clutter may not ring a bell, but it's seared in literary and cinematic history. The brutal 1959 murders of Herbert and Bonnie Clutter and two of their children, Nancy and Kenyon, were chronicled in Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" and a 1967 movie directed by Richard Brooks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
WICHITA, Kan. - The son of a Kansas law enforcement officer who helped investigate the 1959 killings that inspired the book "In Cold Blood" can publish his father's field notes that he says substantially contradict the account found in Truman Capote's literary masterpiece.

In a ruling made public Monday, Shawnee County District Court Judge Larry Hendricks said he made an error when he initially blocked publication of the criminal investigation files in 2012. His decision means that Ronald Nye of Oklahoma City can use his father's files for a book he plans about the slayings of prominent farmer and community leader Herbert Clutter, his wife and two children in Holcomb.

The Kansas attorney general's office had sued Nye to keep him from publishing the files. Nye had planned to auction the records, but later decided to write a book with author Gary McAvoy. Nye and McAvoy can now work with agents and find a publisher for their book.

Nye's father, Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent Harold Nye, kept the case files at his home. Hendricks ruled Nye's First Amendment right to publish the material outweigh the government's interest in maintaining the confidentiality of its investigative records. Nye and McAvoy would not reveal exactly what is in the files, but Nye said Monday that his father's notebooks had "vast discrepancies" from what Capote wrote.

(AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"Our belief is that there is no other reason (Kansas) would want the materials we have suppressed were it not for the information we found in them," McAvoy said. "That information connects to other research I've done and supports a pretty compelling new theory - one that I am reluctant to even discuss at this point."

The state's lawsuit also asked the court to decide legal ownership of the case files. The judge has made no ruling on that issue.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt's office did not respond to email and phone messages seeking comment Monday.

Publicity continues to follow this case even fifty-five years after its occurrence.

Clutter; his wife, Bonnie Mae Fox; and their children, 15-year-old Kenyon and 16-year-old Nancy, were killed at their rural farmhouse. The hunt for their killers mesmerized the nation, drawing journalists from across the U.S. to the small, western Kansas town. Parolees Dick Hickock and Perry Smith were executed for the killings in 1965.

Capote's book about the crime inspired a movie of the same name.

The judge wrote that Kansas had not shown a legal justification for suppressing the material or for interfering with the public's right to know what is in them. He also rejected the state's argument that the Clutter family's privacy concerns justified blocking their release.

(Charlie Riedel/AP)

"The court is sensitive to the plaintiff's concern about publicity and its effect on the Clutters," Hendricks wrote. "However, publicity continues to follow this case even fifty-five years after its occurrence."

O. Yale Lewis, Jr., an attorney for Nye and McAvoy, said his clients hope to have their book published in time for the 50th anniversary in September of the publication of Capote's book.

Ronald Nye said his late father took detailed notes about the case. Nye recalled that his father was so disappointed in Capote's book that he read only about 115 pages before throwing it across the room. He said his dad walked out of the movie's premiere after just 15 minutes.

Harold Nye worked for the Kansas bureau from 1955 until his retirement in 1975; he was its director from 1969 to 1971.

The state's lawsuit names as defendants Harold Nye's adult children, Ronald Nye and Terry Hurley; his widow, Joyce Nye; and McAvoy and his Seattle-based auction company, Vintage Memorabilia, which specializes in film and literature relics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kansas judge allows publication of 'In Cold Blood' files

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
WICHITA, Kan. - The son of a Kansas law enforcement officer who helped investigate the 1959 killings that inspired the book "In Cold Blood" can publish his father's field notes that he says substantially contradict the account found in Truman Capote's literary masterpiece.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The bodies of the killers who were the basis of Truman Capote's true-crime book "In Cold Blood" were exhumed today in Kansas, as authorities hope to crack a 53-year-old cold case using DNA.

After committing the "In Cold Blood" murders of Herbert Clutter, his wife and two children on Nov. 15, 1959, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock hit the road, hiding out from law enforcement in Mexico and Florida, among other places, according to Capote's book and law enforcement accounts. They were ultimately captured in Las Vegas.

But it just so happens that Smith and Hickock were near Osprey, Fla., on Dec. 19, 1959, when the Walker family was murdered in their home.

The men were briefly investigated in 1960, but were ruled out as suspects after passing lie detector tests. Hickock and Smith were hanged on April 14, 1965 and buried at the Mount Muncie cemetery in Lansing, Kansas.

Detective Kim McGath, who has been assigned to the Walker case for the past four years, said she decided to start from the beginning last year in investigating the case, and through her research developed a hunch that Smith and Hickock could be responsible.

"Some things started jumping out at me," she told ABCNews.com.

By the time they reached Florida, the men were spotted throughout the state looking for odd jobs to make a quick buck, often at mechanics' shops and gas stations, according to Capote's book.

It's possible the young family, who had been in the market to purchase a Chevrolet Bel Air, may have crossed paths with Smith and Hickock, who were driving a 1956 model and likely needed money, McGath said.

They were spotted several times in the Sarasota area the day of the murders, and after the Walker family was killed, one of the men was seen with a "scratched-up face," McGath said.

Physical evidence, long before the emergence of DNA testing, was also left behind, McGath said.

Christine Walker had been raped and semen was found in her underwear, she said, and there was a bloody cowboy hat found at the scene.

And two suspicious hairs, which were inconsistent with the Walker family, were found in the home.

"There was a dark hair found in the bathroom, where baby Debbie was found in the bathtub, and a long blond hair inside the dress of Christine Walker," McGath said.

According to Capote's book, Smith recalled reading about the murders in the Miami Herald.

"Know what I wouldn't be surprised? If this wasn't done by a lunatic. Some nut that read about what happened out in Kansas," Smith told Hickock while the two were on the beach in Acapulco, in an exchange Capote recounted in his book. The men never confessed to the murders.

Mitochondrial DNA may prove otherwise if it can be extracted from the bones of the men.

"It's absolutely possible," McGath said. "It depends on all kind of circumstances. The soil conditions, the weather, what type of casket it is in. We will have no idea until we get out there."

Fifty-three years after the murders, closure remains just as important to residents of the Osprey.

"People really changed the way they lived. They locked everything, were afraid of their neighbors," she said. "There has just been such a great desire for this to be solved because it really affected so many people. It really is a lot more far reaching than a lot of people realize."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The bodies of the killers who were the basis of Truman Capote's true-crime book "In Cold Blood" were exhumed today in Kansas, as authorities hope to crack a 53-year-old cold case using DNA. After committing the "In Cold Blood" murders of Herbert Clutter, his wife and two children on Nov.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
In Cold Blood (1/8) Movie CLIP - A Sharp Con (1967) HD

# data[].attributes.body
Real Article about real case

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In Cold Blood (1967)

On November 15, 1959 at 2 a.m. in the morning, two ex-convicts, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, broke into the Holcomb, Kansas home of Herbert Clutter hoping to find $10,000 in his safe. They had foolishly believed a story about his wealth from one of his former employees and now they knew the truth - there was no safe. But instead of leaving, the criminals roused the family of four from their beds, bound and gagged them, and then brutally murdered them before fleeing to Mexico with a pathetic $43 between them. Novelist Truman Capote happened to catch a news item about the murders in the paper and upon investigating further decided it would make a great subject for a book. When his "non-fiction" novel, In Cold Blood, appeared in 1966, it became a publishing sensation and made Capote both a wealthy man and an international celebrity. It was inevitable that Hollywood would make a movie of the book, but critics and audiences alike were quite unprepared for the film version that writer/director Richard Brooks delivered.

While Capote maintained a cold objectivity in his book, Brooks opted for a starkly realistic approach to the material. In his version of In Cold Blood (1967), the audience often views the world through the perspective of the killers. While this approach was criticized by fans of the book that said the film humanized the murderers while turning the innocent victims into one-dimensional caricatures, it was undeniably effective in dramatic terms, especially in the final execution sequence. In a New York Times article by William Cotter Murray, Brooks was quoted as saying, "I see the movie as a kind of Greek tragedy, American style. Everyone knows the ending. It's the treatment that matters. I'm not interested in Alfred Hitchcock stuff...I'm interested in the social aspect of this drama...If I thought this movie didn't have relevance to a general social problem, I wouldn't be making it....This isn't a tragedy of Fate. It's the tragedy of a house. Two houses. The poor farmer shack Hickock came from, and the Clutter's $40,000 farmhouse."

Brooks' attention to detail was practically obsessive on the set of In Cold Blood. He did extensive research at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas on the subject of detecting and treating mentally ill and potentially homicidal prisoners. He insisted on and received permission to shoot on location in the actual Clutter home and in the actual courtroom where the murderers were convicted. Brooks even cast some of the Clutters' neighbors as extras, used seven of the original jurors for the courtroom scenes, brought Nancy Clutter's horse Babe out of retirement for a scene, and even hired the same hangman who had executed Smith and Hickock. And Brooks was no less meticulous in instructing his cast. For instance, he insisted that John Forsythe meet agent Al Dewey, the man he was portraying on film, in order to closely study his mannerisms and personality. Brooks also had his share of battles with the front office at Columbia Pictures who wanted him to shoot the film in color and even suggested Steve McQueen and Paul Newman for the roles of Dick and Perry.

While Truman Capote approved the choice of Brooks as director over all other candidates, he was still not allowed to read the screenplay, which Brooks had written himself. The director bluntly told him, "Truman, I can't work that way. Either you trust me to make it or you don't." When Capote finally viewed the film, he made the following remarks in private, "The introduction of the reporter, who acted as a kind of Greek chorus, didn't make sense. There also wasn't enough on the Clutter family. The book was about six lives, not two, and it ruined it to concentrate so much on Perry and Dick. On the other hand, I thought that the actors who played the two boys were very well cast, acted well, and were directed well." Indeed, critics were especially impressed with the performances of Robert Blake (a former child actor who appeared in Our Gang comedies) as Perry and Scott Wilson as Dick. But both actors were ignored when the Academy Award nominations for 1967 were announced. Instead In Cold Blood received Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Conrad Hall), and Best Music Score (Quincy Jones).

Director/Producer:Richard Brooks
Screenplay:Richard Brooks, Truman Capote (novel)
Cinematography:Conrad L. Hall
Music:Quincy Jones
Art Direction:Robert F. Boyle
Principle Cast:Robert Blade (Perry Smith), Scott Wilson (Dick Hickock), John Forsythe (Alvin Dewey), Paul Stewart (Reporter Jenson), Gerald S. O'Loughlin (Harold Nye), Jeff Corey (Mr. Hickock), John Gallaudet (Roy Church).
BW-135m. Letterboxed.

by Jeff Stafford

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In Cold Blood (1967) On November 15, 1959 at 2 a.m. in the morning, two ex-convicts, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, broke into the Holcomb, Kansas home of Herbert Clutter hoping to find $10,000 in his safe. They had foolishly believed a story about his wealth from one of his former employees and now they knew the truth - there was no safe.

# data[].attributes.headline
Alexei, an old man living in Detroit, retires from his job because he decides he's exceptionally handsome

# data[].attributes.subject
Alexei, an old man living in Detroit, retires from his job because he decides he's exceptionally handsome

# data[].attributes.body
...for his age. He also wants to spend more time with his wife, Elena. "She's getting younger and prettier," he tells his friend André.

# data[].attributes.headline
Too bad, because Elena dies two days later

# data[].attributes.subject
Too bad, because Elena dies two days later

# data[].attributes.body
Alexei has many regrets, since he was unfaithful to her. He thinks back on her devotion to charity, and the way she left shoes where he could trip on them. They had been married forty-five years. He feels numb.

# data[].attributes.body
He wasn't present at the births of most of them. He was out with his mistresses. The one exception is his eldest daughter Arianna, who shares many of his interests - like heavy drinking.

# data[].attributes.headline
Alexei refuses to cope with his grief over the loss of his wife 

# data[].attributes.subject
Alexei refuses to cope with his grief over the loss of his wife 

# data[].attributes.body
Instead, he distracts himself with stories he makes up about her.

# data[].attributes.headline
He calls his eldest daughter Arianne to tell her that Elena has "gone shopping." 

# data[].attributes.subject
He calls his eldest daughter Arianne to tell her that Elena has "gone shopping." 

# data[].attributes.body
Arianne is concerned that her father is in denial and tells her siblings.

# data[].attributes.headline
Alexei's four children, Arianne, Ilya, Eva, and Katya then come to pay him a house visit

# data[].attributes.subject
Alexei's four children, Arianne, Ilya, Eva, and Katya then come to pay him a house visit

# data[].attributes.body
Alexei is indifferent, but he goes out to buy a cake for the occasion.

# data[].attributes.headline
Once the family is gathered, Alexei elaborates that Elena has not only gone shopping, but that she has taken a lover

# data[].attributes.subject
Once the family is gathered, Alexei elaborates that Elena has not only gone shopping, but that she has taken a lover

# data[].attributes.body
He's very pleased with her for doing so. It seems to ease the guilt about his own infidelities.

# data[].attributes.body
They do not want to ruin their good memories of their mother and besides, there's no evidence of such behavior.

# data[].attributes.headline
Convinced by his own lie, Alexei decides to win Elena back from her lover

# data[].attributes.subject
Convinced by his own lie, Alexei decides to win Elena back from her lover

# data[].attributes.body
He packs some suitcases, and prepares to go into town. He plans to buy her a necklace and a new wedding ring.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rusted Root - Send Me On My Way (Official Music Video)

# data[].attributes.headline
When he goes downstairs, he finds the doors barricaded and the children counting silver

# data[].attributes.subject
When he goes downstairs, he finds the doors barricaded and the children counting silver

# data[].attributes.body
They tell him that the house is too big and they are moving him out of it.

# data[].attributes.headline
His daughter Eva stops him as he enters the dining room. She informs him of the news he already knew, subconsciously. 

# data[].attributes.subject
His daughter Eva stops him as he enters the dining room. She informs him of the news he already knew, subconsciously. 

# data[].attributes.body
Reluctantly, he accepts it. Arianne greets him with a drink and neither of them can bear to discuss the matter further.