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Author Archives: David G. Thomas

Based in Las Cruces, N.M., David G. Thomas is a historian, filmmaker, producer, actor, screenwriter and travel writer. Thomas wrote the feature “He Shot the Sheriff,” about the killing of Pat Garrett, in the February 2021 Wild West. He adapted this article from his 2021 book The Trial of Billy the Kid, part of his Mesilla Valley History Series.

Posted inFeature

Was Billy the Kid’s Murder Trial Fair?

by David G. Thomas1/20/20231/20/2023

The judge’s instructions were complex, and none of the jurors could read or necessarily speak English.

The 1878 ambush killing of English rancher John Henry Tunstall set Billy the Kid on the path to murder.
Posted inStories

This English Rancher’s Ambush Killing Set Billy the Kid on the Path to Murder

by David G. Thomas6/17/20227/7/2022

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