Judge allows publication of KBI agent’s ‘In Cold Blood’ files

WICHITA – A judge has decided that the son of a deceased Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent can publish his father’s files from the 1959 killings that inspired the book, “In Cold Blood.”

Shawnee County District Court Judge Larry Hendricks said in a ruling made public Monday that he made an error when he initially blocked publication of the criminal investigation files in 2012.

His decision comes in a lawsuit by the Kansas attorney general’s office against Ronald Nye of Oklahoma City.

The judge ruled Nye’s First Amendment rights to publish his father’s files outweigh the government’s interest in maintaining the confidentiality of its investigative records.

Nye’s father investigated the killing of the Clutter family and kept records at home.

Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were executed for the killings in 1965.

This story was originally published December 2, 2014 at 8:02 AM with the headline "Judge allows publication of KBI agent’s ‘In Cold Blood’ files."