The Bloodcurdling True Story Behind Killers of the Flower Moon

If evil can be pure, there's pure evil on display in Killers of the Flower Moon.

But unlike the sort of terror you shake off once the movie is over and the lights come back on, this is the kind that really happened. Certain narrative choices aside, the story that unfolds in Martin Scorsese's three-hour-plus epic—which has seven nominations heading into the 2024 Golden Globes on Jan. 7—is based squarely on the 2017 nonfiction best-seller of the same name by David Grann.

And while Grann kept the whodunit part more of a mystery as he detailed how the investigation into the murders of dozens of Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma gave rise to the modern FBI, the film puts the two-faced perpetrators front and center so their treachery is on full display.

"It's a completely forgotten part of American history," Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, who was originally going to star as the federal agent who cracked the case but opted to play the complicit Ernest Burkhart, told British Vogue ahead of the Apple Original film's October theatrical release. "And an open wound that still festers."

Added Lily Gladstone, also nominated for her performance as Ernest's Osage wife, Mollie Burkhart, "It's not that long ago that the Reign of Terror happened. I don't want to label this a western. I'm happy that it's being labeled a tragedy."

And while it's officially considered a drama as far as the Globes are concerned, feel free to file the film under horror as well.

What is the true crime story at the heart of Killers of the Flower Moon?

The crimes perpetrated against Osage Nation occurred on multiple levels, but in a nutshell: Oil was discovered on the Osage Indian Reservation, located in what was then known as Oklahoma Territory, toward the end of the 19th century. Through the Office (later the Bureau) of Indian Affairs, which fell under the Department of the Interior, the U.S. government leased the land from the Osage to drill and pump oil, and tribe members received royalty payments.

Ahead of Oklahoma becoming a state in 1907, every Osage person on the tribal rolls was allotted 657 acres of land by the federal government, and each accordingly received the headrights to whatever oil production occurred on their property. Quarterly checks paid to each tribe member grew from a few dollars to thousands. Grann notes in his book that, in 1923, the tribe as a whole took in $30 million—equivalent to more than $500 million today.

But as the Osage, who communally retained the land's mineral rights, became extremely wealthy, Congress passed a 1921 federal law that deemed them incapable of being in charge of their individual holdings (a.k.a. all that oil money).

Court-appointed guardians (all white men) were brought in to manage the Osages' assets, which is why Gladstone's Mollie, her tone heavy with weary contempt, has to identify herself as "incompetent" every time she goes to a meeting to request access to her own money.

And in the meantime, people had started to die.

At least 60 members of the Osage tribe were reported killed between 1918 and 1931—though investigators later said there could have been hundreds of victims who fell prey to what amounted to an insidious conspiracy to strip the Osage of their oil wealth.

Borrowing the blood-drenched term from the spate of public executions that occurred during the French Revolution, newspapers in January 1926 called the murders a "Reign of Terror." 

Who were Ernest Burkhart and Mollie Burkhart?

Ernest grew up poor in Texas and set out for Oklahoma in 1912, when he was 19 (another reason why DiCaprio, 49, wasn't originally a given for the role). He was working as a taxi driver and running errands for his uncle, cattle baron and local powerbroker William King Hale, when he started courting Mollie Kyle. 

Mollie, a registered member of Osage Nation (and therefore a possessor of headrights), fell in love with Ernest, who was six years her junior, despite—as emphasized in Scorsese's film—her astute assumption that he was at least partially in it for the money. She calls him, not without affection, a coyote.

They married in 1917 and moved into a spacious new house, where they enjoyed a comfortable life with servants and several cars. The couple became parents to daughter Elizabeth and son James (a third child, Anna, died of whooping cough) and Mollie's mother, Lizzie, also moved in with them after her husband died.

Ernest did dote on Mollie, according to Grann, learning her indigenous language even though she spoke English and caring for her when she suffered from the painful side effects of diabetes. A lawyer in town who knew the couple wrote in his diary that Ernest's "devotion to his Indian wife and his children is unusual...and striking."

What happened to Mollie Burkhart's family?

Mollie's younger sister Minnie Smith died in 1918 at the age of 27 of what was recorded at the time as a "peculiar wasting illness," per Grann, after which her husband Bill Smith married Minnie and Mollie's sister Reta.

In May 1921, Mollie's eldest sister, Anna Brown—a divorcée who was known to enjoy a night out drinking and dancing (and carried a small gun in her purse for protection)—was found dead by Three Mile Creek, near the town of Fairfax, Okla., shot once in the back of the head. She'd been missing for a week after last being seen with Bryan Burkhart—Ernest's younger brother and her sometimes-boyfriend—who swore to Mollie he drove Anna straight home after they had a heated argument at Mollie and Ernest's house.

On the same day Anna's body was found, a father and son out hunting discovered the remains of 30-year-old Charles Whitehorn—a cousin of Mollie's who'd seemingly disappeared into thin air a week before Anna—on a hill north of Pawhuska, near the base of an oil derrick. He'd been shot twice in the head.

Ernest's uncle Hale—an avowed friend of the Osage people whose charitable donations to their schools, hospitals and other institutions predated the discovery of oil on the land—served as a pallbearer at Anna's funeral and promised Mollie he'd get justice for her sister.

The Department of the Interior's Office of Indian Affairs held an inquest and Mollie testified about the day she last saw her sister. Bryan was briefly jailed—as was Ernest, just in case he was covering up for his brother—but not charged, there not being any physical evidence connecting him to the murder.

Mollie's mother Lizzie died in July 2021. In January 1923, Mollie's cousin Harry Roan was found in his car, shot dead. Two months later, an explosion at Reta and Bill Smith's house killed the couple and their housekeeper.

Mollie inherited Reta's headrights. And as her own health continued to decline, she was convinced that her mother and sister hadn't just been taken ill, they'd been poisoned. And she couldn't help feeling that she was doomed as well.

How did Tom White and the FBI get involved in the Osage murder case?

Local lawmen "were then still largely amateurs," Grann wrote. Deputies could point and shoot (and they did, often) but most didn't have the tools or the training to solve complicated cases. And, sadly, dozens of deaths among the Osage didn't qualify as the highest priority for authorities in Fairfax.

News of the crimes eventually made it to Washington, D.C., though not without further casualties: Barney McBride, a rich white oilman from Oklahoma and a friend to the Osage, traveled to D.C. to meet with federal officials about the murders and he never returned home. He received a telegram at his boarding house warning him to watch his step, and the next morning he was found beaten and stabbed to death in a culvert in Maryland, his body stripped naked.

After McBride was killed, a homicide that made national news, local attorney W. W. Vaughn started investigating allegations that Osage were being poisoned. The father of 10 kept the evidence he was gathering in a safe and told his wife where to find it before he set off for Oklahoma City to meet with a dying man who suspected he'd been fatally dosed. After the meeting, Vaughn phoned the local sheriff and said he was coming home with enough evidence to put at least one killer behind bars.

Vaughn got on the train but never made it home. He was found dead, also sans clothes, along the tracks. When his widow went to open the safe, it had been cleaned out of anything having to do with the Osage killings.

"Several people who had tried to catch the killers themselves had been killed," Grann told NPR in 2017. "And there was a genuine sense of terror. The Osage would hang lights around their houses so that at night they would be illuminated. Doors were locked. Children were not allowed to wander the streets. Many Osage moved to California. Osage would later refer to this as a diaspora."

Terrified but undeterred, the tribe issued a resolution asking for assistance from federal investigators, sensing by then that local authorities either couldn't—or worse yet, wouldn't—provide the help they needed.

And in 1925, help arrived in the form of Thomas White Sr. from the Bureau of Investigation. (It would be rechristened the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935.)

White, a former Texas Ranger, was head of the bureau's Houston office. When he was assigned the Osage case, he put together a team of fellow frontier-lawmen types—including an agent whom Grann suspected was the only American Indian on the force—to go undercover as cowboys and ingratiate themselves with the locals.

Who was behind the Osage murders?

White's team uncovered the most nefarious of schemes, a tangled web of murder, theft and manipulation that was masterminded by the Osages' No. 1 local benefactor, Bill Hale.

"There was a complicity to these killings because they involved not only the perpetrators," Grann told NPR. "They involve morticians who would then cover up the crimes. They involve lawmen who then would not investigate them. They involve neighbors who would never speak out, reporters who would not dig into the crimes. There were so many willing executioners."

Along with the triggerman John Ramsey, Hale was arrested for the murder of Harry Roan, having served as a pallbearer at his friend's funeral while also holding a $25,000 life insurance policy on the deceased. Hale skirted federal agents' attempt to take him into custody, instead showing up nattily dressed in a suit and tie to turn himself in.

"He was a guy who was well liked in the community, if you will, or feared, or both," Robert De Niro, a Golden Globe nominee for supporting actor for his shaking-your-hand-with-a-smile-while-stabbing-you-in-the-back turn as Hale, told The Hollywood Reporter. "He felt he was a genuine contributor to the community, and he felt entitled to do things that were not really very nice, if you want to put it like that."

Ernest was charged with murder for his role in the conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of Mollie's sisters Anna and Reta and brother-in-law Bill. He had also been poisoning his wife at Hale's behest to aid his uncle's plot to get his hands on the roughly $7 million in headrights that had belonged to Mollie's suspiciously shrinking family. 

Mollie "had to sit through the trials and listen to the evidence presented and learn the secrets of her husband, that the secrets of this murder were right inside her house," Grann said. "And it was utterly devastating to her, as anyone would imagine."

By the time Ernest testified against his uncle—investigators believed Hale was also planning to have Ernest bumped off once Mollie was gone, truly clearing the path to those millions—he had been sentenced to life in prison.

Hale was found guilty of Roan's murder in 1929 and also given a life sentence, but he was released on parole in 1947. He died in 1962 at the age of 87.

Ernest was paroled in 1937, sent back to prison in 1940 for burglary and ultimately freed for good in 1959. Oklahoma Gov. Henry Bellmon pardoned him for his role in the Osage murders in the mid-1960s, and Ernest remained in the state until his death in 1986 at the age of 94.

What happened to Mollie Burkhart?

Mollie divorced Ernest in 1926 after he was arrested and made their children the sole heirs of her headrights—and in 1931, she successfully sued to have herself freed from the guardianship that had prevented her from being in charge of her own estate.

She married John Cobb in 1928 and was with him until her death in 1937 when she was 50 years old. 

Gladstone, noting that her great-grandmother would have been Mollie's contemporary, told E! News that some of the Osage she met making the film didn't even know who Hale was because their elders had excised him from the tribe's history.

"The community just completely stopped talking about him and cut him out of photos," she said, calling the chance to tell this story on such a huge platform "overwhelming and really exciting."

What was the biggest change the film Killers of the Flower Moon made from the book?

The screenplay by Eric Roth originally hewed closer to Grann's telling of the story, a more chronological mystery that saves the shocking reveals—particularly that Ernest, who had all the hallmarks of a devoted, protective husband, was just one of Hale's pawns—for later.

But ultimately the writer, Scorsese and DiCaprio (who's also an executive producer) agreed that the Osage needed to be at the center of the film, not the FBI. More than 40 roles were filled by Osage actors, and Gladstone, who grew up in Montana, is of Blackfeet and Nimíipuu heritage. DiCaprio opted to drop the role of Tom White (which went to Jesse Plemons) in favor of the more complex Ernest Burkhart.

Before the rewrite, DiCaprio told British Vogue, "It just didn't feel like it got to the heart of it. We weren't immersed in the Osage story. There was this tiny, small scene between Mollie and Ernest that provoked such emotion in us at the reading, and we just started to penetrate into what that relationship was, because it was so twisted and bizarre and unlike anything I've ever experienced before."

When she got the new script, it was no longer "a white-savior story," Gladstone told Vulture. "It's the Osage saying, 'Do something. Here's money. Come help us.'"

Keep reading to see what Lily Gladstone said about her first Golden Globe nomination and more stars' reactions:

“I am deeply moved that the Golden Globes is recognizing our film and the Osage heart behind it. We could never have brought this story to life without the personal contributions of the Osage Nation, and I’ll be forever grateful to them and every member of the cast and crew. These nominations shine a light on the memory of Mollie Burkhart and all the Osage women and men who lived and died during the Reign of Terror. They are the emotional core of Killers of the Flower Moon, and we honor them.  

It is especially meaningful to be recognized today alongside the great Marty, Bob, and Leo. The experience of working with these inspiring artists can barely be put into words. Their commitment, dedication and generosity have enriched my life in countless ways.

I am so honored to have been entrusted with this story that belongs to the Osage nation, and so deeply grateful to the Golden Globes for seeing me, and our film which means so much to Native American and Indigenous people around the world.”

“It was a demanding but great experience to be a part of the harsh, beautiful world created by Taylor Sheridan. I also stood on the mighty shoulders of my husband in another life, Harrison Ford.”

“It’s an honor to have your work acknowledged, but for Ken, this is the first time he’s been acknowledged, for anything, EVER! And to have it be for supporting Barbie, there is no greater honor. So thanks to the Golden Globes, Ken, whose job definitely isn’t 'surf,' has been shredding one giant wave of emotions since he heard the news. “

“Just when I didn’t think the ride with Ted Lasso could get any greater, to be nominated in this sea of Queens has blown my mind today! Thank you so much to The Golden Globes for this incredible recognition. Us Greyhounds aren’t done yet! WooHOO!"

“Thank you so much to the voting members of the Golden Globes for the recognition and support! Huge thanks to Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach for trusting us in bringing Barbie’s 'heart song' to life for all to feel. Thanks to Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt too. We are eternally grateful to be acknowledged amongst such esteemed peers and artists in the film and songwriting community.”  

"Sweet!"

“I’m grateful for this recognition by the Golden Globes, particularly because our film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture. Everyone who was part of American Fiction, from our brilliant filmmaker Cord Jefferson to every single member of the cast and crew are acknowledged not just by that nomination, but by mine as well. Anything I did was made better because of them.”

"I woke up this morning to my first Golden Globe nomination, and I couldn’t be more grateful! Getting the chance to write a song for a movie was so special. Figuring out how to soundtrack this critical moment in the movie on Barbie’s 'best day ever’ was like this big jigsaw puzzle that Mark, Andrew, Caroline and I had to fit together. The entire experience was completely different than writing one of my own songs, and it’s one that I’ll never forget."

"Thank you so much to Golden Globes for this honor. This remarkable film recognizes Bayard Rustin, the man behind the march, who was one of the greatest activists and organizers. Rustin wasn't recognized at the time for his major contributions as he was an openly gay black man. The movement he championed then is just as important today and I wrote 'Road to Freedom' with this in mind. We still have so much ground to cover and work to be done. I hope people continue to be inspired by this film and song to come together in peace. I want to congratulate Colman Domingo on his nomination for Best Actor today as well as the entire Rustin family."

“Everyone in the Barbie family is thrilled to pieces with the Golden Globe nominations - it was such a collective effort of joy and risk-taking and to see the film recognized is incredible. We are honored to be in such excellent company and can’t wait to bring the Barbie party to the Globes.”

“We’re beyond excited to be recognized for our songs from Greta Gerwig’s brilliant movie that inspired them and we wouldn’t be here without our exceptional co-writer and superstar on 'Dance the Night', Dua Lipa, and the insanely talented Ryan Gosling who brought 'I’m Just Ken to life in every way. Thank you to Golden Globes.”

"Succession really is the gift that keeps on giving, isn't it? The greatest honor was getting to be a part of this show and to collaborate with our incredible creative team, cast and crew. This nomination is a nice reminder of what great fun we had making it, and how much it is missed. Looking forward to celebrating with everyone, and congratulations to all of the nominees."

"Thank you so much to Golden Globes for the recognition of Yellowjackets and Misty, a character who has been so rewarding for me to portray and seems to bring a lot of joy to people. To share this morning’s news alongside such talented peers whom I respect and admire, means a great deal."

“Working with the great ensemble cast of Oppenheimer has been one of the highlights of my career, so I am thrilled the Golden Globes have recognized Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr. and Cillian Murphy’s incredible work in this film. I’m delighted with all of the nominations, including Ludwig’s magnificent score.”

“This nomination represents a massive group effort. We all felt a huge responsibility to serving the phenomenal legacy of Bass Reeves, a true hero who had not yet received his due. Thanks to the Golden Globes voters for this great honor.”  

“I am thrilled to be nominated for four Golden Globes among nominees whose many films I have admired as a filmgoer all my life — thank you so much for these incredible honors for my debut feature. I have spent the morning thanking everyone who worked on the film with me and celebrating with them. I feel especially honored and grateful to be embraced by the film community as a newcomer — I can’t begin to express what it means to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” 

"Thank you Golden Globes for the amazing and surreal honor to be nominated for the role of Ansa in Aki Kaurismäki's romantic comedy FALLEN LEAVES. To find that our minimalistic film has the power to touch people far away from Finland is something very humbling and wonderful. It feels quite incredible to be nominated alongside these fantastic actors, whom I admire deeply. My sincerest thanks!"

“I first saw The Color Purple on Broadway when I was 15-years-old. It was that moment, seeing people who looked like me for the first time on that stage, that gave me permission to dream about being here one day. So, to be recognized for this role, a role that deeply means so much to me, is beyond special. Thank you, Miss O, for so graciously passing the baton. Congratulations to my sister, Fantasia, on her nomination and to the amazing cast and crew for their work on this film. Lastly, thank you Golden Globes for this incredible honor, I am beyond humbled.” 

“Thank you to the Golden Globes for recognising our wonderful movie, Saltburn, which was guided by Emerald Fennell. It’s a lovely feeling to see my name alongside those I massively admire.”

​​“What a wonderful surprise! It’s like a delicious group hug for our fierce Golden Girls team, Annette Bening, Diana Nyad and Bonnie Stoll. Love them so much.”

Making May December was by far the highlight of my career. The experience was pure magic with the most extraordinary film family. I love you all so much. Entering Todd Haynes’ world has profoundly changed my life and acting opposite Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore was something I could only dream about. Golden Globes, thank you for acknowledging our beautiful movie. It means the world to all of us.

“Wow, mind blown!!! What an honour to be included alongside such an incredible list of actors, people who I have long admired. 

Thank you to the Golden Globes voters for the recognition, to the entire cast for their incredible talent and unwavering friendship, to the music and creative team for their patience and support in taking on the challenge of making me a 'rockstar'. Lastly a big thank you to Hello Sunshine and Amazon studios for taking a chance on me and letting me become your Billy. 

I am truly humbled.” 

“I’m beyond thrilled and grateful that the show and everyone involved has been recognized for their hard work and dedication to this story. I still can’t believe we were able to get this show made, so it’s truly a dream to have it recognized in this way. I’d also like to say that any nomination for me is also a nomination for Jonathan Bailey - there is no Hawk without Tim.”

“I am so grateful to the Golden Globes voters for recognizing Todd Haynes’ May December for Best Picture Musical or Comedy. I am also so blown away to be nominated alongside my incredible costars, the brilliant Julianne Moore and the revelatory Charles Melton. It is our first feature at MountainA, the production company Sophie Mas and I started together, and it’s a dream to have this film celebrated that we love so much, made by a team we adore.” 

“I am honored by this Golden Globe nomination, standing alongside such remarkable performers. I am grateful for the opportunity to reunite with the incomparable Martin Scorsese and legendary Robert De Niro and am thankful for this entire cast and crew.  

The experience of collaborating with Lily Gladstone has been truly extraordinary.  She is the soul of our film and helped to bring this sinister and painful part of our nation's history to life. 

This nomination is a reflection of a collaboration—a reminder of the transformative power that emerges from telling meaningful stories. Thank you to the Golden Globe voters for this recognition and acknowledging the tireless dedication of this entire team.”

"I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this magical film experience and to have our POOR THINGS family recognized together is a dream. Bella Baxter is my favorite character that I’ve ever had the honor of playing and the journey of making this film is one that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Bella’s freedom and joyous approach to every aspect of life was infectious and I’m so lucky I got to live for a little while in her vision of the world. To get to work alongside Mark, Willem and Ramy, with Tony, Ed, Andrew and all the other incredible cast and crew was pure and utter joy. And Yorgos Lanthimos — I’m eternally in awe of his vision, brilliance, collaboration and friendship.

And thank you for recognizing “The Curse.”  Nathan and Benny created a show that is a deeply uncomfortable and unique labor of love, along with the great folks at Showtime and A24, and it’s so wonderful to have our work acknowledged in this way. Feeling extremely bewildered and thankful for it all.”

"I am thrilled Artists Equity’s first film is nominated for best picture (musical or comedy), recognizing the value and importance of the entire collective effort. I hope every person whose name was on the call sheet, front and back, feels as validated by this as I feel grateful to have worked with them. " — Ben

"Thanks so much to the Golden Globes voters for acknowledging Artists Equity’s first movie. I’m really proud to be a part of this incredible cast and crew." — Matt

“This is a really wonderful honor to be recognized for this performance by the Golden Globes. I’m so proud of this film and humbled by the reaction. It’s been a joy to bring Paul Hunham to life and to see audiences love him as much as I do. And it’s a really wonderful honor for this film and cast and crew and director that I love so much. Thank you!”

POOR THINGS was such a great collaboration and special film, it’s gratifying to see it nominated in so many categories. Portraying Dr. Godwin Baxter, a character who turns his pained past into compassion and hope has been a moving experience. I’m so happy to be a part of this film and celebrating with so many of my colleagues from it.  

The actress reacted to her Best Supporting Female Actor - Motion Picture nomination on her Instagram Story, writing alongside the praying hands emoji, "Thank you @goldenglobes, and congrats to the nominees."

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.