James was murdered at 34

The infamous Jesse James was shot in the back of the head on April 3, 1882, while cleaning a picture on the wall of his leased home in St. Joseph, Missouri. He did not perish in a hail of gunfire during a theft. In the next room, he could see his wife and two kids.

Bob Ford, a recent addition to the James gang, had planned the murder with the help of his older brother Charley, who was already a member of the organization. Bob Ford planned to apprehend the infamous outlaw in exchange for a bounty and held covert talks with Missouri Governor Thomas T. Crittenden about it. The James brothers' capture was Crittenden's main aim, and he said in his inaugural speech that they could not be protected by political motivations.

The Fords were found guilty of murder and given the death penalty after telling the police they had slain the notorious bandit; however, the governor swiftly commuted their sentence. James's murder captured the public's attention, and the Fords quickly started staging a traveling production of the crime. In 1884, Charley Ford shot himself to death; in 1894, Bob Ford was shot to death in a Colorado tavern.