Billy the Kid's testimony resulted in the Dolan-Murphy crew facing more than 250 criminal indictments, per True West. But their crony connections ensured all parties got off scot-free. With the monopoly holders victorious and free from competitors John Tunstall and Alexander McSween, the total weight of the law came down on the Regulators. Or, more specifically, the youngest member of the group, Billy the Kid, who was apprehended by Sheriff Pat Garrett in order to stand trial for the murder of William Brady. Ironically, the only man to cooperate with New Mexico's authorities, he would also be the only one to stand trial (via True West).
Betrayed by the governor and pardon-less, Billy the Kid's court trial appeared to seal his fate. The media had already tried and convicted him in the court of public opinion, painting him as one of the most ruthless banditos this side of the Rio Grande.
According to History, the judge presiding over his case, Warren Bristol, took great zeal in sentencing Billy the Kid to death, proclaiming, "You are dead, dead, dead." To this, the hardened teen gunslinger replied cheekily, "And you can go to hell, hell, hell." The Kid's conviction set the stage for one of the most famous jail breaks in history, when he singlehandedly killed two armed guards and fled from the jail in Lincoln, New Mexico, narrowly avoiding the noose.
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