Which real-life case inspired Truman Capote’s 1966 nonfiction crime book In Cold Blood?

Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood recounts the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas.

Herb Clutter, his wife Bonnie and their teenage children Nancy and Kenyon were killed in their farmhouse on November 15, 1959. Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were arrested, convicted and executed for the crime. Capote reconstructed the murders, investigation and aftermath through interviews, court records and extensive reporting.

Published in 1966, In Cold Blood is widely associated with the development of the nonfiction novel, a form that uses literary techniques while presenting a factual account. Capote spent years researching the case, assisted by Harper Lee. The book is sometimes described simply as a true-crime novel, but its status and the accuracy of some reconstructed dialogue have been discussed by scholars and critics.