Boone Helm
| Levi Boone Helm | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 28, 1828 Lincoln County, Kentucky |
| Died | January 14, 1864 (aged 35) Virginia City, Montana |
| Cause of death | Hanging |
| Other names | The Kentucky Cannibal |
| Criminal penalty | Death penalty |
| Killings | |
| Victims | unknown (at least 11) |
|
Span of killings
|
1850–1864 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California, Missouri, others. |
Boone Helm (January 28, 1828 – January 14, 1864) was a mountain man and gunfighter of the American West known as the Kentucky Cannibal. Helm was a serial killer who gained his nickname for his opportunistic and unrepentant proclivity for the consumption of human flesh taken from the bodies of enemies and traveling companions. While this was usually done in survival situations, Helm sometimes took flesh in preparation for a survival situation.
Boone Helm was born in Kentucky into what was considered an honest, hard-working and respected family. Helm's family moved to Missouri when he was still a boy. Helm delighted in demonstrating feats of strength and agility, and would goad men into fights and regale others by throwing his Bowie knife into the ground and retrieving it from a horse at full gallop. In one incident that demonstrates his contempt for authority, Helm, on horseback, rebuffed the sheriff's attempt to arrest him and walked his horse up the stairs of a courthouse and into the courtroom, while circuit court was in session, and verbally harangued the judge.
Helm married 17-year-old Lucinda Browning in 1848 and soon fathered a daughter. Helm became known for his heavy drinking, riding his horse into the house, and beating his wife. The domestic violence grew to such an extent that Lucinda petitioned for divorce. Helm's father paid for the costs of the divorce. Having bankrupted his father and ruined his family's reputation, Helm then decided to move to California.
By 1850, Helm had decided to head for California in search of gold. Helm asked his cousin, a man named Littlebury Shoot, if he would accompany him to California. Shoot initially agreed to accompany him, but when Littlebury attempted to back out of the trip Helm became angered and stabbed him in the chest, killing him instantly. Helm then headed west alone. Littlebury's brother and friends pursued and captured Helm, but his antics in captivity quickly landed him in an asylum for the mentally deranged. Upon entering the asylum, Helm became taciturn and convinced his guard to take him on walks through the woods. After these walks became routine, Helm was able to take advantage of the guard's trust, deceive him, and escape.
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