Pat Garrett Didn't Kill Billy the Kid: His Deputy's Confession They Tried To HIDE

Pat Garrett Didn't Kill Billy the Kid: His Deputy's Confession They Tried To HIDE For more than a century, the world has believed that Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid inside a dark bedroom in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. But a hidden deathbed confession by Garrett’s own deputy, John Poe, tells a very different story. Written down in 1923 and kept secret for decades, Poe admitted that Garrett froze—and that Tip McKinney fired the fatal shots instead, while the lawmen agreed to let Garrett take the credit. The confession names the scene inside Pete Maxwell’s house, explains the strange bullet angle, and reveals how a career-saving cover-up replaced the truth. We examine the original testimony, the forensic contradictions, and the evidence that shows why this confession was buried—and how it may expose the biggest lie in Wild West history. #BillyTheKid #PatGarrett #WildWestHistory #DeadwoodTales © 2026 Deadwood Tales. All rights reserved.