BILLY COOK: The Real Hitcher

Billy Cook, from Joplin, Missouri’s, crime spree was the number one national news story in 1951. The manhunt for him was one of the biggest in history and crossed international borders. Some historians claim it dwarfed anything that happened in the public enemies era. And while today he has been largely forgotten, his legacy does affect our lives in ways that might surprise you. He began the boogie man stories of the killer hitchhiker, which led to a slew of Hollywood horror movies inspired by his crime spree. A verse of “Riders on the Storm” by the Doors is directly inspired by Cook, and the tattooed hands of Robert Mitchum’s character in “The Night of the Hunter” may be a nod to Cook as well. Imagine my surprise to learn that the grave of this notorious person was located an hours drive from my house. By the time I came along in the 1980s absolutely nobody hitchhiked anymore, and Billy Cook is the first person to show the world just how dangerous a past time it could be. This is his story, and the story of those he hurt.

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