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Directed by Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon is an adaptation of David Grann's 2017 non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. The film is about what the Osage Nation calls the Reign of Terror, a dark period in the late 1920s.
During this period, at least 60 Osage community members were brutally murdered. To bring this true crime story to life, the movie explores the marriage between Ernest Burkhart and Mollie Burkhart.
The true story behind Killers of the Flower Moon revolves around the sudden wealth that the Indigenous Peoples of Osage County gained from oil. Mollie Burkhart, who was less enamored with luxury than her husband, found herself deeply affected by a series of murders in Osage County.
These heinous acts claimed the lives of several of her family members, including her sister Anna. Although Mollie managed to survive a lethal plot orchestrated by her husband Ernest and his uncle Hale, she was marred with trauma for the rest of her life.
What happened to Mollie after Killers of the Flower Moon?
Upon discovering Ernest's involvement in Anna's murder and his attempts to poison her, Mollie took the decisive step of divorcing him. Consequently, Ernest was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Two years following the divorce, Mollie found love again and married John Cobb. She then changed her name to Mollie Burkhart Cobb and continued to reside on the Osage reservation. Moreover, her children with Ernest still inherited the family's oil fortune after her passing.
Mollie's life came to an end at the age of 50 on June 16, 1937. She was laid to rest in Osage County, Oklahoma, where she joined many of her relatives, including Anna, in eternal rest. John Cobb, her second husband, lived until 1969 and passed away in California at the age of 63. Despite the overwhelming tragedy she faced, Mollie persevered and continued to live her life.
What happened to Ernest Burkhart after the
Killers of the Flower Moon?
The film Killers of the Flower Moon concludes with Ernest Burkhart being sentenced to prison. Initially, Ernest received a life sentence in 1926 for his role in the murders of Mollie's sisters.
Surprisingly, he gained parole just 11 years later. Moreover, his uncle, William King Hale, was pardoned in 1947, a move that sparked outrage in the Osage community. Consequently, many argue that the sentences for both men were insufficient.
After serving time, Ernest attempted to reconnect with his family. Specifically, his granddaughter Margie spoke about her first encounter with him. Now 61, Margie remains one of the few living descendants of Ernest, as the Osage murders decimated much of their family tree.
Despite growing up with stories of Ernest's dark past, Margie's family maintained some level of relationship with him. For instance, her father even asked Ernest to house-sit during family vacations. Nevertheless, Margie harbored significant resentment towards her grandfather.
Ernest passed away on December 1, 1986, in Cleveland, Oklahoma, at the age of 94. Remarkably, he lived over two decades as a free man following his pardon. During his final years, he focused on mending ties with his family, although with mixed success.
In conclusion, Killers of the Flower Moon is a haunting lens into the Reign of Terror that plagued the Osage Nation.
