Carol Fugate

    
Caril Ann was the daughter of William Fugate and Velda M Bartlett, born July 30, 1943. According to records, her mother and William were married at the time of her birth so she was not illegitimate. Her mother later married Marion Bartlett and gave birth to Caril's half sister, Betty Jean. The correct spelling of her name is Caril Ann, but I have misspelled it in the title because typically if people are searching for her, they would use the more common spelling of Carol.

     In 1958, Caril Ann was dating Charles Starkweather. She was 14 years old and he was 19 years old. The pair killed her parents, half sister and a handful of other people in the town of Lincoln, Nebraska. She served 17 years in prison and went on to a life with no further crimes. She live a quiet life, later married and in 2013 she and her husband were in a serious single car accident where he died and she was seriously injured.

     Why does this matter, what does it mean, and what can we learn from Caril Ann?
She was fourteen years of age when all of this happened. Her biological father was not present and her mother had remarried what appeared to be a much older man and gave birth to a child. It is likely, though not known for sure that Velda had been a single parent and finances were likely tough. They were not middle or upper class. It is likely she was judged heavily by society and classmates for coming from a single home. It is unclear if her parents divorced or her father died. Either way, beside the traumatic separation, she suffered consequences of her parents actions.

     Charles Starkweather was brash and had no issues standing up for himself. He clearly was a “take-charge” kind of person. It is highly likely Caril Ann would be looking for someone to “save” her and protect her. I strongly suspect, in her naive and immature eyes Starkweather, who was executed for the murders he committed fit that bill. I do believe she wanted to be a “bad girl” with him because she likely felt like one prior to meeting him. I do not believe she understood the ramifications of those choices and just where those choices would take her. In her photos, she just appears lost, like a boat without an anchor.

     I do not personally believe she was a sociopath as once she was released from prison, she did not reoffend or commit new crimes. Clearly she CAN function within the expectations of society.
“So what?” can be rattling in your brain, I can hear it.

     Superimpose these circumstances onto a young girl in this era. Low income home. No father. Peer rejection because they don't have THE clothes or THE phone or they can't afford to do the IN things. This girl too will want someone to care for her, save her, etc. She's going to look for someone who others are afraid of because if they are afraid of him, they won't bother her. This scenario is playing out hundreds of time a day in the United States.
What can be done about it?

     If you are the mother of a daughter like the one described above, TALK to your daughter often and tell her she doesn't need a man to “save” her, she can save herself. If that's been your life pattern, stop it and show her a woman can stand on her own two feet. These young women in this day and age can easily end up doing life for something their boyfriend chooses to do. Her life can be saved, but it's going to be up to the parent(s) to make the hard choices, talk AND listen.

     Yes, what happened when Caril Ann and Charles did was horrific. People still talk about it to this day, but she's not unique at all. Millions of girls just like her have been born and raised since then. If they are lucky, they didn't meet anyone like Starkweather, or peheraps they did and they were able to make better choices.

     If you are raising a child like this, reach out to the community around you to get help. There are many organizations who work with at risk children for free.