Murder in the Heartland is a television miniseries that aired on ABC in 1993. It was based on the 1957–58 murder spree carried out by 19-year-old Charles Starkweather throughout Nebraska and Wyoming. Starkweather is played by Tim Roth. The first half of the miniseries covers the murders. The second half covers the trials of Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, his 14-year-old grooming victim. Their increasingly disparate versions of events are contrasted as the trials unfold.
The film received strong praise from critics and Emmy nominations.
Cast
Tim Roth as Charles Starkweather
Fairuza Balk as Caril Ann Fugate
Randy Quaid as Elmer Scheele
Brian Dennehy as John McArthur
Roberts Blossom as August "Gus" Meyer
Tom Bower as Marion Bartlett
Jennifer Griffin as Velda Bartlett
Rondi Reed as Jonette Fox
Bob Gunton as Governor Anderson
Ryan Cutrona as C. Lauer Ward
Angie Bolling as Clara Ward
Jake Carpenter as Robert Jensen
Heather Kafka as Carol King
Don Bloomfield as Bobby Colvert
John Hussey as Mr. Jensen
James Hansen Prince as Deputy Sheriff Bill Romer
John S. Davies as Merle Karnopp
Mark Walters as Chief Robert Ainslie
Milo O'Shea as Clem Gaughan
Gerry Bamman as Judge Brooks
Jeff Perry as Earl Heflin
Connie Cooper as Hazel Heflin
Kate Reid as Pansy Street
Marco Perella as Bob Von Busch (uncredited) Renée Zellweger as Barbara Von Busch (uncredited) Gary Mitchell Carter as Rodney Starkweather (uncredited)
Production
The entire film was shot on location in and around McKinney and Dallas, Texas.
Brian Dennehy was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. Ronald Victor Garcia was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie.
An edited version of the production saw a limited release on VHS.
See also
The Sadist, a 1963 film by James Landis. Terrence Malick's 1973 movie Badlands, and the title song from Bruce Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska. The 1994 film Natural Born Killers was also partly inspired by these events. The 2004 film Starkweather directed by Bryon Werner.