During the first few months of their trial and afterward, Hickock and Smith's murder case went unnoticed by most Americans. It was not until months before their executions that they became "two of the most famous murderers in history." On 18 January 1960, Time magazine published "Kansas: The Killers", a story about the murders.[19] Inspired by that article, Truman Capote wrote, in 1965 serialized in The New Yorker, and in 1966 published, as a "non-fiction novel", In Cold Blood, a true-crime book that detailed the murders and trial. Due to the brutality and severity of the crimes, the trial was covered nationwide, and even received some coverage internationally.[20]
The notoriety of the murders and subsequent trial brought lasting effects to the small Kansas town, and Capote became so famous and related to trials that he was called to help the Senate in an examination of the court case.[15] The trial also brought into the national spotlight a discussion about the death penalty and mental illness. Capote expressed that after completing the book and interviewing Hickock and Smith, he opposed the death penalty.[15]
This trial has also been cited as an example of "the limitations of the M'Naghten rules (also called M'Naghten test)." The M'Naghten rules are used to determine whether or not a criminal was insane at the time of their crime and therefore incapable of being tried fairly. Authors such as Karl Menninger strongly criticized the M'Naghten test, calling it absurd. Many "lawyers, judges, and psychiatrists" have sought to "get around" the M'Naghten rules.[21] In Intention – Law and Society, James Marshall further criticizes the M'Naghten rules, calling into question the psychological principles upon which the rules are based. He stated that "the M'Naghten rules ... are founded on an erroneous hypothesis that behavior is based exclusively on intellectual activity and capacity."[22]
A 1966 article in The New York Times stated that "neighborliness evaporated" in the Holcomb community. "The natural order seemed suspended. Chaos poised to rush in."[23] In 2009, 50 years after the Clutter murders, the Huffington Post asked Kansas citizens about the effects of the trial, and their opinions of the book and subsequent movie and television series about the events. Many respondents said they had begun to lose their trust in others, "doors were locked. Strangers eyed with suspicion." Many still felt greatly affected and believed Capote had in a way taken advantage of their "great tragedy".[24]
