Henry McCarty was born in New York City in 1859, far from the West where he would eventually become famous as Billy the Kid. Although he is generally depicted as a ruthless killer, Billy the Kid only wanted to avenge the murder of his employer who treated him like a son. Only four of the men Billy shot, died, and these may all be considered acts of self-defense or self-preservation. At the age of 21, Billy paid the ultimate price for his violent lifestyle when he was shot and killed by sheriff Pat Garrett in a pitch black room at Fort Sumner. Many years later, a man calling himself Brushy Bill Roberts claimed to be Billy the Kid. He claimed that Garrett had mistakenly killed a man by the name of Billy Barlow. These claims were never verified.