Ernest Burkhart

Ernest Burkhart
Burkhart in the late 1920s
Born	(1892-09-11)September 11, 1892 Greenville, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 1, 1986(1986-12-01) (aged 94) Cleveland, Oklahoma, U.S.
Other names	Ernest George Burkhart, Ernest Burkhardt
Known for	One of the perpetrators of the Osage Indian murders
Spouse	Mollie Kyle ​ ​ (m. 1917; div. 1926)​
Children	3
Relatives	William King Hale (uncle)
Conviction(s)	Oklahoma First degree murder Federal Burglary (18 U.S.C. § 2114)
Criminal penalty	Oklahoma Life imprisonment with hard labor (1926) Federal 7 years imprisonment (1940)

Ernest George Burkhart (September 11, 1892 – December 1, 1986) was an American murderer who participated in the Osage Indian murders as a hitman for his uncle William King Hale's crime ring. He was convicted for the killing of William E. Smith in 1926, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Burkhart was paroled in 1937, but was sent back to prison for burglarizing his former sister-in-law's house in 1940. After being paroled for the final time in 1959, Burkhart was pardoned by Oklahoma governor Henry Bellmon in 1966 for his role in the Osage murders.