Felipe Espinosa Research Papers

Felipe Espinosa was born Rio Arriba County, New Mexico Territory in 1836. Espinosa was a notorious Mexican-American murderer who killed an estimated thirty-two people in the Colorado Territory during the summer of 1863. He is widely considered to be one of America's first serial killers. Felipe Espinosa died at the hands of legendary tracker Tom Robin in 1863.
What sets Felipe Espinosa apart from other serial killers is the fact that his motivation for killing came as a direct result of the United States Armed Forces’ actions during the Mexican-American War. At the end of the Mexican- American War in 1846 a nearly countless number of families were left with nothing. They were suffering from the loss of their family land and were stuck adapting to the “new” American way of life. In the end, more than two-thirds of families in New Mexico lost their

The Espinosa's would then kill those who had taken over the ranches and give the land back to the Mexican families they had been taken from. During this time, Espinosa sent a letter to Governor John Evans, which threatened to kill “600 gringos”, including the governor, if the gang was not granted amnesty and about 5,000 acres were handed over. The governor then ordered the U.S. Calvary to hunt down the gang, but mostly the two Espinosa brothers.
Somewhere along the line, Felipe's brother, Jose was killed, but his place was taken by a cousin named Julian Espinosa and their deadly vendetta continued as more and more men were killed. By their own admission, the Espinosas killed approximately 32 people. A few days later, Tobin found the gang and a deadly gunfight ensued. At the end, Tobin walked away with the heads of both Felipe and his cousin. In October of 1863, the “Bloody Espinosas” reign of terror was brought to an