Billy the Kid Pardon Denied, Did Gov Richardson Waste the Public's Time?

New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson finally decided not to pardon outlaw legend Billy the Kid, after eight years of consideration and a week in the media spotlight. Richardson, a self-proclaimed history buff, promised in 2003 to consider pardoning Billy the Kid. The governor has been mulling this issue over throughout his two terms, the last of which is coming to a close in January. Was Richardson doing New Mexico a service or wasting the public's time?

Why was Gov. Richardson looking into pardoning Billy the Kid? There was evidence that, over a century ago, territorial Governor Lou Wallace promised William H. Bonney--aka 'Billy the Kid'--a pardon for killing Lincoln County, NM, sheriff William Brady. In return, Billy the Kid testified at the grand jury trial of another murder.

Wallace did not follow through on that alleged promise. Gov. Richardson thought the issue historically significant enough to his state and America to merit an investigation and potential pardon. The governor was not considering a blanket absolution of all of Billy the Kid's crimes, just weighing this specific case.

On Friday, Dec. 31, 2010, Gov. Richardson decided not to pardon Billy the Kid. Even though Richardson was only considering the case at hand, he did let subsequent murders--some of which were New Mexico lawmen--committed by the Wild West outlaw to color his decision. Richardson also cited an unwillingness to second guess one of his predecessors. He did believe, however, that former Gov. Wallace did offer the pardon.

In the end too much "historical ambiguity" led Richardson to not pardon Billy the Kid.

Did Richardson waste the public and taxpayers' time? While Gov. Richardson has taken the eight years of his governorship to reach a decision, he has also taken up a considerable amount of television time in the past week with his Billy the Kid decision. He has appeared on shows such as "John King U.S.A." and "Good Morning America" to discuss, not just his final decision, but the issues surrounding a possible Billy the Kid pardon. He often almost teasingly told interviewers that he was waiting until the last minute (Dec. 31) to reveal his final decision.

Eight years seems like a long time to consider the issue, but Richardson assured John King that. "Well, look, I'm not spending a lot of time on it. I've studied this issue over the years."

That statement goes slightly in the face of Richardson's explanation for the time he has taken to make the decision. He cited having to look over court documents, newspaper clippings and testimony. All of which takes time, but not all of his time. The governor is also in the middle of a budget, a new governor transition and has recently been to North Korea.

In the end, the Billy the Kid pardon hoopla is good for New Mexico tourism. The state banks on the infamous gunslinger as a draw for visitors, even promoting itself as "Billy the Kid Territory" on a tourism site. So it can be argued that Gov. Richardson was creatively acting in the interest of his constituents by drawing out and hyping his decision.

Richardson may also have done the rest of the public a service in reminding us of the sometimes murderous, but fascinating history of the American Wild West.