The Clutter Family In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

The book In Cold Blood by Truman Capote explains and reconstructs the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas on November 15th, 1959. The Clutter family, Herbert “Herb”, Bonnie, and two of their children Nancy and Kenyon were all killed, each with a twelve-gauge shotgun. No one knew who killed them or why the crime took place, as the family was well-liked and in high standing in their town. Truman Capote wrote this novel based on information he had gathered about the case. He begins the story with a background on the Clutter family and locks in on the actions of Richard “Dick” Hickock and Perry Smith, the perpetrators of the crime. The story also includes a background on the lead investigator, Alvin “Al” Dewey, a sheriff, and Special

The bodies of the Clutter family were found by Clarence and his daughter Nancy Ewalt. They entered the Clutter home after there was no answer at the door as Nancy Ewalt usually went to Church with the family. Sherriff Robinson and undersheriff Wendel Meier arrived at 9:45 am the morning of November 15th. Nancy Clutter (16) was found under the blankets of her bed in her robe with her hands tied behind her and ankles bound with cord, with a gunshot to the back of the head. Her mother, Bonnie was found tied in her bedroom with her hands tied in front of her, unlike the way her daughter was found. The cord that tied her wrists went down to her ankles, then tied to the end of the bed with a gunshot to the side of the head. Kenyon Clutter (15) was found in the basement playroom by the couch. He was gaged by adhesive tape and tied at the hands and ankles like his mother and sister. He was shot directly in the face. Herbert Clutter was found in the other room of the basement. He was found with his throat cut and was shot directly in the face like his son. His mouth was taped, and he was only tied at the

The third section of the story begins with an old cellmate of Dick’s, Floyd Wells. Wells heard about the murder of the Clutter family and immediately knew that Dick committed the crime. He wanted to come forward but was nervous about what could happen to him. When Dick and Floyd shared a cell, they talked about previous jobs they had and when Floyd brought up his experience working on the Clutter farm, Dick could not stop asking questions. He heard about how much money they had which sparked his interest, he then began to ask about the layout of the home. Dick mentioned many times that he was going to rob them and kill any witnesses, including the