(1859–81). U.S. outlaw of the Southwest, Billy the Kid was born William Bonney on Nov. 23, 1859, in New York City. After moving to New Mexico in the late 1860s, he led a band of outlaws in various cattle wars and was said to have killed at least 27 people. He was captured in 1880, tried, and sentenced to hang. He escaped from jail and remained at large until he was killed on July 14, 1881, by Sheriff Patrick Garrett.