Billy the Kid (also known as William H. Bonney) started his criminal career with the act of horse thievery. Even with his record, Bonney was deputized by lawmen to help apprehend a group of swindlers who murdered an innocent rancher. Bonney’s crew were known as “The Regulators,” and due to their violent and outlandish behavior, were soon considered outlaws. That didn’t put a damper on things for “the Kid,” as he and his gang continued with a violent killing spree (which included taking the lives of a sheriff and his deputy). The law finally caught up with Bonney, and while his crew was captured, he was able to elude the authorities. After a shootout where Bonney killed a man in a New Mexico saloon, the law finally got the jump on the Kid and he was captured. However, Bonney escaped, commandeered a weapon, killed his jail guards, and hid out for the following three months. He was eventually shot down by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881, Although it is not historically credited, it is often claimed that Billy the Kid killed 21 men; one for each year of his life.