Skip to content
Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc.
Donate
Cart

Historic Murphysburg

Billy Cook

William Edward Cook Jr., known as Billy Cook, was born in Joplin and became a nationally known Route 66 crime figure in the early 1950s.

William Edward Cook Jr., known as Billy Cook, was born in Joplin and became a nationally known Route 66 crime figure in the early 1950s.

Known forWilliam Edward Cook Jr., known as Billy Cook, was born in Joplin and became a nationally known Route 66 crime figure in the early 1950s.

Historic image from the Billy Cook folder
william cook

Route 66 and regional true-crime history.

William Edward Cook Jr., known as Billy Cook, was born in Joplin on December 23, 1928. His early life and later crimes made him one of the most notorious Joplin-connected figures of the Route 66 era.

Cook's story should be handled with care. He is historically significant because of the national attention surrounding the 1950-1951 killings.  He was executed at San Quentin on December 12, 1952.