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The 12th Victim is a highly gripping, true-crime, four-part documentary series that is all set to make its arrival exclusively on Showtime on Friday, February 17, 2023, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time (ET). It will explore and revisit the heartwrenching murder-spree case involving Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate.
Nicola B. serves as the director of the docuseries, while Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville acts as the executive producer for the Showtime docuseries. The official synopsis for the upcoming documentary series, given by Showtime, reads:
"In 1958, Charles Starkweather and his girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate went on a murder spree that took the lives of 11 victims including Caril’s mother, stepfather and baby stepsister. Charles was sentenced to death, and Caril became the youngest woman ever sentenced to life in prison."
It continues:
"To this day, she maintains her innocence and that she did not know Charles had killed her family when she accompanied him. The series looks deeper into Caril’s role in the crimes and how this case reflects society's fascination with true crime."
Ever since the official trailer for the docuseries was released by Showtime, the audience has been quite curious to learn all about the notorious spree killer Charles Starkweather. So, without further ado, let's dig deep and find out all about him, ahead of the documentary series' premiere on Showtime.
Learn all about Charles Starkweather before The 12th Victim debuts on Showtime
Who was Charles Starkweather?
Charles Raymond Starkweather, infamously known as Charles Starkweather, was a monstrous spree killer from Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. Born on November 24, 1938, to Helen and Guy Starkweather, he went on a terrifying killing spree when he was just 19 years old.
Between December 1, 1957 to January 29, 1958, Charles went on to brutally kill a total of 11 individuals, including an infant. Most of his victims were shot to death by him, while a few were stabbed to their unfortunate demise. At that time, the killer had a 14-year-old girlfriend named Caril Ann Fugate. She was reportedly with him the entire time, during his murdering spree in 1958.
The list of Starkweather's victims includes 21-year-old Robert Colvert, 58-year-old Marion Bartlett, 36-year-old Velda Bartlett, two-year-old Betty Jean Bartlett, 70-year-old August Meyer, 17-year-old Robert Jensen, 16-year-old Carol King, 51-year-old Lillian Fencl, 46-year-old Clara Ward, 47-year-old C. Lauer Ward, and 34-year-old Merle Collison.
What happened to the sinister killer Starkweather?
Reportedly, after killing his last victim, Merle Collison, Starkweather attempted to drive away with her car, along with his then-girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate. However, he faced difficulties driving as some of the vehicle's functions were unknown to him.
At that moment, a geologist and motorist named Joe Sprinkle stopped to help them and it sparked an altercation between them. The incident caught the eye of a police officer named William Romer. Right at that moment, Carl Ann Fugate approached the cop and told him that the man was none other than Charles Starkweather.
Upon realizing what had happened, Charles tried to escape but was chased down by three police officers. After getting injured during the chase, Starkweather finally surrendered and was immediately arrested on January 29, 1958, near Douglas, Wyoming.
He was extradited to Nebraska from Wyoming. He was given a death sentence there and was executed on June 25, 1959, through the electric chair.
Don't forget to watch The 12th Victim, which will arrive this Friday, February 17, 2023, at 8:00 pm ET, on Showtime.
