Hickock And The Clutter Death

Should a man be punished for a crime he had involvement in, but did not technically commit? This question has been asked for decades over the Clutter Murders of 1959. Richard “Dick” Hickock was the man to convince Perry Smith to travel with him to Holcomb, Kansas to pay a visit to Herb Clutter and family. Although Hickock was the one to plan the entire visit, which included robbing and murdering the family, he never physically laid a finger on the trigger of the shotgun or knife that killed Herb Clutter and his innocent wife and children. Hickock deserved the fate of the death penalty due to his manipulation of Perry and his involvement in the crime.

Hickock had more than an intention to murder the entire Clutter family out of his love of

The question at hand is why he suddenly made the conscious decision to no longer be associated with the crime. Immediately following their capture, the two criminals were interrogated and investigated by the officers involved in the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. As soon as Hickock comes to the realization that the police have evidence to be used against the two for conviction, Hickock disowns the crime by stating how his accomplice was the man to have been the true murderer, and he simply “couldn’t stop him” (230). Hickock’s father constantly claimes that after his son’s accident in 1950, Richard just “. . . didn’t act like the same boy” (293). The intent of this claim was to support that Hickock was involved in the murder due to his inability to distinguish right from wrong, but this claim was quickly dismissed after a psychological evaluation. During the trial, Hickock is described as “impulsive in action” and “alert” by Dr. Jones,the doctor who evaluated Hickock (294-5). Hickock was not mentally ill, nor had he ever experienced a life with a lack of support. His father and mother arrived to every trial, tried to repay his debts, and never left him behind. They provided support in the times he needed it most, and Hickcock claims “[he needed] help” from Dr. Jones during his evaluation (279). This displays him as a man with a lack of respect and remorse. He is not able to fully take responsibility for his