Charles Starkweather (November 24, 1938 - June 25, 1959) was a spree killer. In January 1958 he visited his friend Caril Ann Fugate (born in 1944). At her house, he shot Caril Ann's mother and father, and strangled Caril Anne's two-year old sister. Starkweather and Fugate claimed to have the flu, but a relative of Caril Ann warned the police. When they arrived at the house, it was empty apart from the three bodies. In the week that followed, Starkweather stabbed 7 people to death. Over 1200 police officers and members of the National Guard searched for the couple, and they were finally arrested in Douglas, Wyoming. Starkweather first claimed he had held Caril Ann captive, but dropped the story when she called him a murderer. He was electrocuted in the Nebraska State Prison on June 25th, 1959. Caril Ann was sentenced to life in prison, but was paroled in 1977.
Starkweather is the inspiration and subject of the song "Nebraska" by Bruce Springsteen (which was originally entitled "Starkweather"). The murders were fictionalized by Terrence Malick for his film Badlands. He is also mentioned in the 1989 Billy Joel hit, We Didn't Start The Fire.
Starkweather is buried in Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.