WATCH: Get a First Look at THE FINAL TRIAL OF BILLY THE KID
The film is set for release in early 2022 on all major streaming platforms.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Sep. 21, 2021
Storied Billy the Kid claimants "Brushy" Bill Roberts of Hico, TX and John Miller of Prescott, AZ will finally get their day in court to prove their claim to being legendary outlaw Billy the Kid. The trial, part of the upcoming docu-drama "The Final Trial of Billy the Kid" will be filmed in the old federal courthouse inside of Amy Biehl High School in downtown Albuquerque next week.
Based upon surviving historical evidence for the claims of Miller and Roberts, along with the generally accepted version of Bonney's death by Pat Garrett, the trial will once and for all determine which story stands up to a dispassionate examination of the facts. In an attempt to prove his identity, John Miller's remains were disinterred from the Arizona Pioneer's Rest Home in Prescott in the early 2000's. DNA analysis was inconclusive and many still believe Miller could have been The Kid, after escaping Garrett's bullets on 14, July 1881. The town of Hico, TX maintains that "Brushy" Bill Roberts was The Kid, and he in fact went in front of New Mexico Governor Thomas Mabry in 1950 asking for the pardon he says he was promised by Territorial Governor Lew Wallace in 1878. In a WILD press attended show, Roberts was dismissed by Mabry who did not believe he was The Kid. Roberts died in Hico of a heart attack some 3 weeks later. Hico maintains its own Billy the Kid museum and Roberts sports not one, but two graves in the nearby county seat of Hamilton, TX for tourists to flock to.
The film, a project of writer/director Michael Anthony Giudicissi, began as a documentary in late 2020 featuring interviews with former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Billy the Kid historian and TV personality Steve Sederwall, various law enforcement officers, authors, and politicians. With the truth of whether Bonney was killed that fateful night in 1881 so shrouded in mystery, Giudicissi expanded the project to include a dramatized version of a real trial to examine which evidence remains for each of the 3 potential outcomes for Billy the Kid. Both Fort Sumner, NM and Hico, TX have significant stakes in the outcome of the trial as each of their versions of Billy the Kid (and his final resting place) draw tourists from all over the world. The film offers the promise of final, irrefutable evidence to prove once and for all what became of the legendary gunslinger. "The Final Trial of Billy the Kid" stars Thomas Fears (Reaper, Sirona) as Brushy Billy Roberts, Kelly Kidd (Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War, The Wilderness Road) as Sheriff Pat Garrett, and Ryan Knudson (30 Seconds in Hell, The Book of Revelation) as attorney Carvin Aldine.
The film, set for release in early 2022 on all major streaming platforms, is a joint production of Mankind Productions (30 Seconds in Hell, Back to Billy) and Dyor Productions. Giudicissi helms the project as writer and director while Royd McCargish steps in as Executive Producer. The project employs some twenty five New Mexico cast and crew members.
The film's first look theatrical trailer is available for viewing below!
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