The 12th Victim

In 1958, a grisly string of murders terrified the Midwest, as locals watched the 18-year-old Starkweather kill 11 victims in Nebraska and Wyoming with his girlfriend Fugate by his side. Fugate went on to become the youngest female in U.S. history to be tried and convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. As one of the first true-crime stories to unfold in real time on TV, the widely covered Bonnie and Clyde-style narrative depicted Starkweather as a James Dean-wannabe and Fugate as his lascivious, bloodthirsty girlfriend, inspiring a wave of future hit films such as Badlands and Natural Born Killers. Through detailed interviews with those closest to the case and well-researched archival footage, THE 12TH VICTIM looks deeper into the original killings and Fugate's role in the crimes - not as the willing participant but as an underage girl held hostage by Starkweather - and gives credence to Fugate's claims of innocence.