The Murdering Cowboy | FULL EPISODE | The FBI Files

in 1981 a witness told investigators of a double murder in Idaho near a trappers camp they found a game wardens body a second wardens body was moved along with the killer flawed doubts investigators would track the mountain man through unforgiving country country he knew better than anyone in an area known for handy government's enemies the FBI knew the manhunt would be difficult but Dallas must be found [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] the sunset on the Wild West long ago but some people refused to notice Claude Dallas was one of them a wily trapper distrustful of authority Dallas typify the rugged individualism that forged this country he went too far when he killed two game wardens in 1981 the law that he despised so much began to close in but Dallas knew the land and could live off it as long as he needed to finding him wouldn't be easy I'm Jim Kallstrom former director of the FBI's New York office a man like Dallas could hide almost anywhere the severity of his crime demanded that we never stop looking a modern-day Posse formed to round up the Maverick and deliver him to justice On January 5th 1981 Jim Stephens arrived at a friend's trapping camp bringing provisions as promised he fired warning shots to report his arrival he knew his hosts didn't like being surprised by unannounced visitors the trapper Claude Dallas had created the gunshot warning system he was protective of his compound Dallas was glad to have the supplies he was trapping for the winter in bull base in a remote area in south western Idaho near the Nevada border he had bagged a few Bobcats out of season and planned to sell their furs in the spring but he needed food before that to sustain him besides restocking Dallas's camp stevens had come to look for Indian artifacts plan to search along the river in such an isolated area he was bound to find new items for his collection Dallas stayed to look over his new provisions [Music] Stevens was away for only a short time overhearing raised voices Jim Stevens soon returned to the camp he found his friend was not alone Dallas was arguing with two games Bill Holden Conley [Music] Stevens noticed Alice's shoulder holster was empty though the wardens rarely met with Trump few woodsmen were happy to see me they requested Stevens gun following standard field procedure [Music] Hogan Dallas argued about the Bobcats ends hanging nearby in Idaho the season hadn't opened Alice's temper Rhodes as he fumbled for an excuse their argument intensified cold mentioned a citation further angering the track [Music] then warden Elms entered Alice's tent to look for more contraband Dallas became furious insisting they needed a search warrant sir I said stop warden Pope turned his attention to the tent suddenly Dallas was firing a gun he had drawn a 357 but you got hidden and emptied it into the unsuspecting wardens without a word Dallas reached for his 22 rifle and carefully aim behind the ear of Bilbo Hanley Elms met the same thing Jim Stephens was stunned Dallas immediately claimed that poby tried to draw his gun Stephens had turned away just before the shooting began Gilligan denied Dallas but why would the warden of drawing and why was Elms killed maybe his friend had gone crazy fearing for his life Stephens decided it was best to cooperate he complied with Dallas orders using one of Dallas mules they hauled billfolds body up to the ridge where Stevens blazed they dumped the body into the truck and returned to the camp Conley elms body was too heavy for the mule to carry up the hill to the truck Dallas first suggested they quarter him and haul the pieces in the end they dragged him almost half a mile across the rocky ground to the river that would be Dallas is one mistake he didn't wait for body as it floated downriver it was sure to be seen [Music] as a trapper Dallas knew about leaving tracks he must cover his to make it hard on the investigators who would hunted using kerosene he burned the bloody spots left by moving the bodies Stevens had to help Dallas then built two small fires to burn the ropes used to move the wardens and some of the wardens equipment he tried to get rid of anything with blood [Music] Dallas never expressed remorse for the killings the Stevens Dallas seemed without emotion was more reason to fear [Music] Dallas had to get rid of bill bugs body he decided to go to a friend's house in Nevada for help Stephens didn't want to cross Dallas and it might give him a chance to get away from the killer they would head for paradise hill Nevada five hours away [Music] as they drove Dallas tried to convince Stevens that the killings were justifiable homicide the wardens had invaded his territory and threatened in his City you'd only defended himself Stephens couldn't understand how it was self-defense but he didn't argue there was no telling what Dallas might do to him near the end of their Drive Dallas apologized for involvement I arrived at the home of George and Liz Nielsen in Paradise Hill Nevada around 11 o'clock that night the Nielsen's ran a small tavern out of their house and were just closing for the night George is called Dallas told his old friend George he had just killed two fish-and-game officers he needed Nielsen's help with others around jim stevens no longer feared for his life but what he had seen and done still terrified him Dallas told George and Liz Nielsen he had one body outside and that the other was in the river near his camp George Neilson shared Dallas's contempt for the law and he believed the claim of self-defense he agreed to help Dallas told Stevens he could go and ask to borrow the Nielsen's pickup to take Boggs body out and bury it the men went outside so Dallas could move the body from the blazer to Nielsen's pickup Stevens could finally head home Dallas went off alone to get rid of the body hours later he would return to the Nielsen's to shower change pose even packed the Nielsen's would give him food and some cash around 5:30 a.m. Nielson would drop him off 15 miles away where it is believed another friend picked him up in any case law Dallas had disappeared a few hours later Jim Stephens realized he had to go to the police after talking with George he visited Liz Nielsen at a local hospital where she worked she agreed they should contact authorities they were too involved not to we gotta turn they met with the county prosecutor Stevens explained that he was there at the time of the shootings that had his back turned when Dallas started fire he didn't see if Pogue had drawn his gun so Stevens couldn't verify our dispute Dallas's self-defense stories this George Andrews Nielson told how they had helped Dallas disappear but they didn't know where he was all anyone knew was that for some reason quad Dallas had snapped it was unpredictable armed and out there somewhere if Stevens were telling the truth there were two lawmen down and a killer on the run the prosecutor contacted Owyhee County Sheriff Tim Middleton who called in state authorities I notified the Department of Law Enforcement to gain some assistance because of the expertise that they could supply my department as nettleton prepared to investigate the crime scene to check Stephens story the FBI was called in to track Dallas Special Agent Frank Menzel then stationed in Reno was assigned as the Nevada case agent the FBI was called in to the investigation of the murders of officers Pogan Elms because it was believed that Dallas had first of all cold-bloodedly murdered these two officers and secondly that he had fled the state of Idaho to avoid prosecution Dallas knew the land and had a head start but the FBI had to find them Sheriff Tim nettleton led the investigation of the crime scene where Claude Dallas had killed the two game wardens he was accompanied by deputies and state forensics experts an investigator riding in a news helicopter spotted a body in the river he radioed to the team on the ground and they located the body of warden Tom Elmas caught on a submerged tree branch at least one death was verified back in the camp officers approached Alice's tent with care on the chance it was lying in wait but only pelts and skins remain [Music] with the area secured Sheriff Nettleton and the forensics team could begin verifying the rest of Stephens story they couldn't rely solely on one witness's testimony they needed hard evidence that placed Dallas at the scene and prove what happened beyond a reasonable doubt investigators videotaped and took photographed preserve the placement of footprints and other evidence they were most interested in collecting ballistic evidence the examiner's needed to retrieve the wardens guns and any spent bullets from the question was whether the wardens had fired or even drawn their guns if they had Dallas made the innocent of murder searches found 357 and 22 caliber shell casings which they hope to be able to trace to determine who would fire [Music] although evidence had been burned much still remained the scorched twigs might yield powerful clues in the process we found where the the sagebrush had been piled on a human blood later identified as Bill Pogues and Connally Elms blood and burned we assumed to destroy the evidence it was painstaking work but there meticulousness was crucial even the tiniest traces of evidence would be useful to Idaho state crime lab examiner Rick Groff there was a number of blood spots that were collected off of plants off dirt around a campfire just did a number of locations the one eyewitness Jim Stephens cooperated fully his testimony would help the Idaho Department of Law Enforcement Harry kapal reconstruct the killings we took the next day I believe it was we took Stephens and went back down to the crime scene and had him walk us through showing us where Elms was standing where Pogue was standing where he was standing where Dallas was positioned and we acted it out and photographed it investigators were sure of what had happened but they didn't know where Claude Dallas was or where he had hidden bill Pope's body local and state officers and civilian volunteers would look for the body the news of the wardens murders galvanized researchers most of them you between wardens and their families Sheriff Gary Amon then a dispatcher was part of the search for the body was Dallas being a cold-blooded cop killer it was it was scary searching but it was there was anger there that she wanted to help the family find the body so they could bury their loved one many of the searchers knew the 30 square mile wilderness that they'd be scouring but there were dozens of abandoned mine shafts and gullies in which to hide a body and claw Dallas knew them all right let's move burning daylight they would use high-technology like infrared scanners but most importantly they would rely on their own patience and dedication they were very long days cold days we walked we rode horses flew and airplanes flew in helicopters the FBI's manhunt team was charged with finding doubts the traffic could be anywhere he was said to know every cave and gopher hole in the area where Idaho Oregon and Nevada meet so the FBI wasted no time in blanketing the region with agents the specialized FBI force arrived in Winnemucca this morning 12 members of the Bureau SWAT team out of San Francisco they'll be evaluating and following up leads from several areas there were about a hundred officers including SWAT teams California Idaho and Nevada it was a possum ready for anything because no one knew what the dangerous woodsman might do while Special Agent Frank Manziel coordinated the Nevada search special agent George Kelly of the Boise field office became the FBI's lead investigator the story's out on Claude Ellis early on seem to be that he was a loner he was one who was not too close to other people he was a person who could live all by himself could walk in the mountains and be totally independent Dallas projected the image of a storybook mountain man to those around him it was a tale years in the making now this was born on March 11th 1950 in Winchester Virginia the second son in a family of nine [Music] when he was just a boy his father taught him to hunt and lay a trapline and that game laws didn't apply to them the FBI learned that Dallas's name was already in their files for a draft-dodging charge more than ten years earlier when he was 18 he had registered for the draft is required by law then left his family and hitchhiked to California Dallas found work as a ranch hand though he had no experience but he learned fast and soon became known for his hard work and for his distrust of the law after several years he moved on perhaps unaware the FBI wanted him as a draft dodger in 1973 the FBI caught up with Lloyd Emmons they arrested him for failure to report for induction but the draft board couldn't prove he had ever received his draft notices they dropped the charges it was his first victory over the government laws he despised Dallas moved to Paradise Hill Nevada he decided to trade ranch work for the life of a tractor he wanted to be completely independent before long Dallas was making his living soul is a trapper in the nevada wives although he was licensed his traps often violated state game laws for illegal bait legitimate trappers had little respect for his operation Sherriff Nettleton mewed alice's reputation dallas was a trash trapper he never took the time to go with their real Trapper and learn how to trap as authorities investigated the man they were hunting for alleged murder they uncovered a history of conflict with the law in 1976 Nevada game warden Dale Elliott came across some of Dallas's illegally baited traps Dallas used birds and animal parts to lure bobcats whose skins brought a good price but this improper bait also attracts animals like raccoons and skunks and kills them needlessly Elliott confiscated the traps and find Dallas $100 two years later in 1978 another game warden gene Weller came across more traps in Dallas's territory they were illegally baited with chunks of meat and had no tags Dallas couldn't be found and since it was late Weller decided to return the next day to look for him the following morning Weller and a sheriff's deputy found Alice's Jeep but again Dallas wouldn't be located inside the Jeep they found two weapons a rifle and a revolver it was against Nevada law to keep a loaded rifle and a vehicle so they confiscated it they took the revolver to yeah two loaded weapons in a possibly abandoned vehicle presented a dangerous situation anyone wandering nearby could take the firearms the officers left a note for Dallas explaining where the guns would be held names Claude Dallas here to get my guns three days later a disgruntled Claude Dallas arrived at the sheriff's office in Winnemucca Nevada to claim his guns they were now unloaded and Dallas argued that the shells would have been inside were spent the deputies couldn't produce evidence that the guns had held live round the weapons were returned and no fine was issued it was another Dallas victory Claude Dallas was a man who rejected the rules of society but if his rules allowed for murder the FBI had to bring him in within days of the two game wardens deaths FBI agents gathered information about the killer Claude Dallas Special Agent George Callie led the investigation we realized that to find Claude Dallas we had to learn more about him the FBI talked with local trappers and ranchers many were reluctant to help the information on Dallas came slow as it did the FBI pieced together the days leading up to the killing of the two game wardens [Music] in December of 1980 a month before the killing of the wardens Dallas had made a winter camp in the remote stretch of wilderness in Idaho's southwest corner he would spend the winter trapping alone but for a few visits from friends like Jim Stevens who promised to bring Mayo supplies he chose Bull Basin for his camp it was perfect for him wild isolated country rich in deer and Bobcat a place where a man could live by his own rules Dallas's closest neighbors were miles away he knew whether trappers sometimes work bul Basin but he figured he could avoid them and the state's Fish and Game laws but one day his neighbor paid him a visit Eddie Carlin owned the 45 ranch 12 miles away he often trapped in bull Payson and he wanted to know who was working his territory Harlan saw illegal bobcat for his net camped when he commented on them Dallas said he didn't believe in man-made laws something about the trapper made Harlan uneasy he nervously I'd Alice's 357 a more powerful than the trapper needs Harlan made it clear his family had trapped in bull Basin for years finally they agreed to work separate areas they would stay off each other's Terk for the moment Eddie Carlin was more concerned about a couple of travelers poaching on his 45 ranch itself in the Northwest working another man's land is like stealing directly out of his pockets Carlin drove two hours to the nearest phone to alert the Fish and Game Department it was 10:00 p.m. on January 4th when Carlin reached game warden Bill Polk Polk was known as a strict by the books warden Carlin knew he would help him clear his ranch of unwanted trappers both understood Carlin's concern approach is needed to be caught before they moved on to new territory Pope told Carlin he'd head out right away but he needed to find a partner he called two wardens were unable to make the trip finally he reached Connelly hello yeah elms it was late but when Elms heard the problem he immediately agreed to go the wardens arrived at the Carlin's 45 ranch at 3:00 a.m. on January 5th after a few hours rest in sleeping bags outside the men joined Eddie and Joanne Carlin for breakfast Eddie described the poachers who were trapping on his land the wardens considered how to approach them then Joann added that there was another man named Claude Alice trapping in bull basin he was bagging game out of season Eddie told him to watch out for Dallas the wardens said they'd cover each other they left to confront the trappers on the 45 ranch first Jim Stevens arrived in Dallas camp at mid-morning and went off to look for artifacts leaving Dallas alone the wardens ended the camp to check on the possible trapping violations come on Dallas yep come out of the tent please bill PubCon Leon's game orders Nala's would later tell Stephens what happened next the wardens asked Dallas for his gun he surrendered one that the wardens have seen we kept the second 357 pistol hidden mouse trap license dalla said the argument began at the warn us checked his trapping licenses they asked about the pelts again oppressed Dallas about the Bobcat furs and yellows his anger rule attention quickly escalated and in an instance analysis temper turned deadly perhaps what was most horrible was the way the wardens were executed [Music] Sherriff Nettleton understood the implication of the shots to the head that shot behind the ear was to finish him off and is a common way of administering death by a trapper [Music] clearly Dallas considered the wardens no more than animals stumbling into one of his traps the cold terrible nature of the crime didn't faze Dallas unshaken he tried to cover his tracks intimidating Jim Stevens into assisting then he vanished within 48 hours the Huntford bill poems body by local volunteers had begun Elms body had been found and the story Jim Stevens recounted was proving to be true the other warden was still missing local and state authorities used every tool at their disposal including sheriff nettleton airplane the aerial search allowed for initial sweeps of large areas to be conducted quickly it was necessary in such a vast expansive territory freshly dug earth or other signs of blood Alice's actions may have been visible from the air but finding a body would require a slow careful ground search too by a team that included Sheriff Gary Amon when we actually went down and searched for the body approximately 50 or so people went down we'd camped out near Paradise Valley and we would break up into teams and we'd go search a specific designated area that that we were assigned to and we would basically turn over every rock and look under every brush for for signs of a grave or footprints bodies whatever any evidence that might be related to this case as local authorities searched for Pogues body the FBI hunted Claude Ellis he could be anywhere on the northwest to Mexico or beyond Dallas was on his own turf and the manhunt promised to be long and frustrating agent George Kelly and the other investigators knew that defined Dallas they'd have to narrow the search we had to contact the people that he had seen him past and we began to get an idea the type of person he would look up by those who had similar interests that he did and we really concentrated on who are his friends investigators knew Dallas had friends and paradise hill Nevada so they focused their checking homes barns and other buildings agents learned Dallas kept many of his belongings in a converted trailer behind George Nielsen's bar when agents searched them they discovered nearly 20 weapons and some combat training manuals it was further evidence they were hunting a man who was dangerous and knew how to kill inside Nielsen's bar the FBI questioned everyone who knew Dallas the Nielsen's were helpful telling the FBI the same information they had given the county prosecutor earlier but others in the bar were largely uncooperative not many locals appreciated federal intervention they gave agents few leads it was clear people were protecting Dallas either because they liked him or because they disliked the law the federal agents weren't the only ones getting the brush-off even local authorities like Harry kapal felt the frustration some of the anti-establishment type people said the two officers deserved to be killed they had no business being down invading this man's camp but there were quite a few people in the Wynn Amata area who really weren't too helpful and I think our investigation would have proceeded a lot faster and quicker had they had been more willing to come forward or if we did interview them tell us the truth the fact that Dallas had a network of supporters in Nevada and Idaho gave agents the first glimpse behind his mountain man facade it seemed he was not the self-sufficient loners some made him out to be he was resourceful but he was also dependent on others the field worked by agents like Frank Manziel slowly uncovered the truth about Claude Dallas he wasn't earning any money so he had to have some way to eat and sleep and that sort of thing a place to go to to hide so he was able to avoid us because he did have some friends not only in the state of Nevada but Northern California where he had relatives as investigators learned how Dallas operated they figured out how to bring him out of hiding they'd make the reclusive backwoodsman the best recognized man in the West so he'd have to come home to hide they designed and distributed a wanted poster and put a $20,000 reward on Dallas's debt sheriff nettleton called it the poster I had requests from some many police agencies all the way from Alaska all up and down the west coast they were in field and stream virtually every gun shop west of the Mississippi had one hanging up and any place that mr. Dallas went he would see his face any of his haunts any of his friends would see it this would leave him only one place to hide back in paradise hill where most of his supporters were investigators kept the pressure on following every lead searching every day and waiting for Dallas to resurface after 15 months agents noticed the people of paradise Hill becoming uneasy they acted nervous when any law officer was nearby the agents worked their contacts and learned that Claud Dallas was coming back detective FBI agents persuaded a friend of Dallas's to turn informant and notify them when Dallas actually returned in April of 1982 the informant came in to talk he didn't want any trouble Lord Dallas had moved in with a friend he said Bert he was a Craig Carver's trailer just outside of paradise hill there were plenty of weapons in the trail within 12 hours the arrest team had assembled and was ready to raid harvest rate they had to act fast there was no room for error on Sunday April 18th 1982 the FBI made their move on dog Dallas they descended upon his quiet remote hiding spot with air and ground support the SWAT team quickly positioned themselves for the raid the new Dallas was an expert marksman and that he would be heavily armed Special Agent George Kelly was after me and I what we called the announcement that it was this is the FBI and Claude Dallas come out words that its effect and he did and came out but not the way they expected Dallas died through the window of the trailer and went to a truck [Music] agents were momentarily helpless to stop him here s team mobilized and the chase was on the FBI had spent more than a year tracking them out they could not let him get away [Applause] [Music] the helicopter stayed on his tail despite the day Dallas was shooting from his truck instead alone agents and officers returned fire as they chase you seemed unstoppable even bullet [Music] but then his luck ran out his truck stopped dead and the shooting stopped - Dallas had been shot he slipped out of his truck and crawled away men on the ground couldn't see him through the tall brush but from the air nan Zell had a bird's-eye view unfortunately with the agents out of their vehicle he had no means of radio contact so he was helpless to warn me when I saw that agent walking toward Dallas this agent was a very highly trained special agent SWAT team leader named Dave Gillan out of Las Vegas I didn't think he saw Dallas and I thought there could be I thought Dallas could've killed right there and it really scared me better but as the agents approached who everyone surprised Dallas lifted his arms and gave eye he was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment the FBI had their man Frank nann zel breathed a sigh of relief Dallas told us he could have killed the agent that was walking toward him and I said thanks for not killing me with Claude Dallas secure behind bars prosecutors began to build their case against him this morning investigators went through Dallas's belongings looking for evidence to help in prosecuting him items searched included traps Pelt stretch boards clothing and eight guns leave there is a possibility that that we could have the homicide weapon but we don't know how many weapons are you are you looking for you're looking for one particular weapon but you're specifically looking for the gun that Clyde used to shoot we're hoping it might be a Miss punch at the Idaho State forensics lab examiners tested the weapons confiscated from Dallas's trailer they hope to find the guns used to execute the wardens but the tests were inconclusive prosecutors would have to rely on other forensic evidence and the testimony of Jim Steele's to earn a conviction when plot Dallas was released from the hospital he's booked at the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office then flown back to Winnemucca Nevada when they had Dallas in custody cut back to the airport in Winnemucca it was just a feeling of relief hey it's over with now let's get him tried authorities were taking no chances security at the Owyhee County Courthouse was bolstered for Dallas's arrival from the first day of the trial the courthouse was jammed with spectators split into Pro and anti Dallas camps his most vocal advocates were the so-called Dallas cheerleaders during the trial there was a group mostly ladies that were openly antagonistic towards any law enforcement that thought mr. Dallas was cute and being railroaded didn't mind telling anybody that had no business prosecuting the prosecution expected an easy conviction on first-degree murder charges they had a witness to the crime forensic evidence and a defendant who eluded capture for over a year but it wouldn't be easy whether it was the strong defense or Dallas's charisma after seven days of deliberation the jury reached a shocking verdict instead of the maximum charge of first-degree murder they found Claude Dallas guilty of two lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter if the jury was beguiled by Dallas the judge was not he gave Dallas the maximum sentences he could a total of 30 years during the trial Dallas finally gave up the location of Bill Pogues body this provided some relief to the people who had searched the wilderness for months still many felt justice had not been done we were shocked that he would the Dallas got away with this because he had cold-bloodedly murdered two very fine Idaho officers and not only murdered him but shot him in the back of the head like they were just animals the Econo trap and I thought that it was the worst decision there was no justice I felt bad for law enforcement that I really felt bad for Pogue and Elms family I thought that was just tragic bill Pogues body was recovered from a shallow grave about 15 miles southwest of paradise hill Nevada and thought Dallas began serving his time at the Idaho State Penitentiary but the ordeal was not over [Music] after three years in captivity on Easter Sunday 1986 he once again became a fugitive agents believed a woman from Reno who had befriended him brought him wire cutters on a visit he used them to cut through the prison fence it seems she also provided the getaway car Dallas was now an escaped killer and the manhunt team responded with full force the FBI placed him on their list of ten most wanted fugitives at the request of special agent George Keller we knew could be difficulty in finding him that that should get him on the top ten knew that getting this publicity now a nationwide but worldwide and our one of flowers that go out special agent Menzel welcome to top ten listing you have the backing of the entire FBI more so than you wouldn't and then just a regular case I mean we have all the equipment helicopters planes technical advice laboratory SWAT teams people that are able to do all kinds of things will help you on a solid lead on an FBI top ten fugitive case the media also turned more attention to noise generating more leads the search was off to a strong start [Music] hopes were high when agents quickly located that are allegedly used in the escape forensics examiner's processed it for prints it may lead them to the escapee but he left no trace of himself a few months after Dallas's escaped agents had a hot tip on his whereabouts he was hiding in the small mining town of Eureka Nevada under cover of darkness Vegas and Reno SWAT teams arrived for the raid they through a device called a flashbang through the front door to stun anyone inside and send up a smoke screen to cover agents when they enter with the fugitive plot Dallas finally be brought to justice SWAT team members search the house with law Dallas but he had slipped away again maybe the agents had been in the small town too long and word had gotten out in any case Dallas was gone it would be several more months before agents got their best break almost a year after his escape from prison they had been following another of his friends Danny Martinez who lived in the ranching community of Riverside California Martinez had a friend who looked a lot like Dallas and he talked the friend into giving Dallas his ID the friend was uncomfortable with the arrangement called the FBI and agreed to help meanwhile Dallas fled to Mexico using the ID he cut his hair shaved his beard and got a nose job he had a new look but he hadn't changed his pattern as before he returned to where his friends were as agents predict when thought Dallas returned to Riverside Martinez had the informant take Dallas to a motel the friend quickly alerted the FBI knowing Dallas is inside the SWAT team assembled at the convenience store across from the motel [Music] he was surrounded and he was unarmed so he could not fight back this time Waddell's was once again in custody he was transported back to Idaho to stand trial the charge was escaping from a State Penitentiary it seems certain he would be found guilty but again he worked his magic on the witness stand he claimed prison officials had concocted an elaborate scheme to kill him because they saw him as a cop killer amazingly the jury bought his story baffling agents like Frank Menzel Dallas was acquitted from escape which totally astounded every FBI agent I ever knew that worked on this case or any agent that ever heard about this case it just was beyond belief that Dallas could escape from prison and then go to trial for that and then be acquitted Clawd Dallas who admitted killing two law officers seemed somehow charmed when it came to prosecution but this time he got off of he's is draft-dodging he got off a shooting two officers now he gets off of escape because the authorities are mean to this poor little boy that's been his defense every time the Dallas was defeated he lost the year reduction in his sentence he turned for good behavior and he was returned to prison to serve the remaining 27 years of his term Sheriff Gary Amon saw through Dallas's false image cloud Dallas to me was a wannabe cowboy loner that wasn't near as tough as he thought he was Harry kept all agrees I don't think ever earned the right to be called a mountain man or a trapper he was nothing more than a thief and a murderer [Music] following the game wardens deaths their widows initiated the construction of a memorial to Idaho's fallen officers the monument stands as a testimonial to the true heroes of the West those men and women sworn to uphold and detect the law [Music] [Applause] you [Music]

Channel: The FBI Files

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Keywords: FBI, FBI Files, FBI Documentary, Documentary, Crime, Crime Documentary, Crime Patrol, True Crime, True crime daily, Unsolved, Crime Stories, Crime Documentaries Full Episodes, Full Episode, unsolved true crime, fbi files full episodes, we got him, mystery, solved, investigation, police, criminal, prison, jail, claude dallas, dallas, outlaw, cowboy, murdering cowboy

Id: m6V7zKrErH0

Length: 51min 54sec (3114 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 30 2019