Billy the Kid Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881, also known as William H. Bonney) was an American Old West outlaw and gunfighter who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at age 21. He took part in New Mexico's Lincoln County War, during which he allegedly committed three murders. McCarty was orphaned at age 14. The owner of a boarding house gave him a room in exchange for work. His first arrest was for stealing food at age 16 in late 1875. Ten days later, he robbed a Chinese
Mary McCarty December 8, 1954, the eldest of six children. The family lived there for a time in Arlington Heights and Northbrook, both suburbs of Chicago. In 1969, McCarty's family moved to Spooner, Wisconsin, where McCarty graduated from Spooner High School in June, 1972. In the same month, McCarty's family moved to Delray Beach, Florida. McCarty started attending the University of Florida in 1973. She began her career in politics as an intern for US House Majority Leader Tip O'Neill in Washington D.C. in 1974 and helped to monitor the Watergate Hearings. She worked as a waitress to help pay for college.