In Cold Blood Sparknotes

In Cold Blood

According to the Rand Corporations, In the 1980s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defined mass murderer as someone who “kills four or more people in a single incident (not including himself), typically in a single location” (Krouse and Richardson). No one knew exactly what happened on November 15th, 1959, until a smart man named Truman Capote had the urge to make a nonfiction book on Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. The author states, “Dick became convinced Perry was that rarity, “a natural born killer”…”(Capote 79).It took him 6 years so get all the truth he needed from Dick and Perry. After his six years of constant questioning and information gathering he finally got his answer and enough material to write a whole book

Dick Hickock and Perry Smith had some major mental issues that they later paid for by being hung. While both Dick and Perry were both in prison they heard from a fellow inmate that there was there was house that had a safe inside with ten thousand dollars in it. When Dick and Perry went in to do the job everything went downhill. As soon as the two started to the robbery they realized there was hardly any money in this safe. Once they saw there was no money in the safe they proceeded throughout the entire house killing the entire family which includes the father , mother, daughter, and son. All of the murders were done by the psycho Perry Smith. He felt so dumb after the talk with the father it drove him to slide the blade across his neck, causing him to bleed out and eventually die. He then proceeded to go from room to room and pull the trigger while aiming at each and everyone's head including the innocent kids and mother. Then Dick and Perry fled to Mexico where Perry completed his goal to one day skydive and look for treasure. Later on someone snitched on them to the police by former cellmate Floyd Wells. Soon Dick and Perry were arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were both found guilty and sentenced to the death

He also had a wife which he had a child with. He later divorced his his wife and married another lady and had a child with her too, but he ended that relationship also. His life kept going further and further down, he started writing fake checks for himself, which put him in prison. That's where he met has future partner in crime Perry smith and came up with the plan to do this robbery. Dick wanted to take the money and get away from the world. They succeeded with leaving but they only had $50 in hand. They did everything they could in Mexico and came back to the U.s where they were arrested and hung. Dick only committed a few crimes, he was only there because of his fake checks. He had no intention in killing anyone that night at the Clutters. He was only in it for the money which cost him his