What Happened To Johnny Behan After Testifying Against Wyatt Earp

Netflix's Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War covers the events of the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral, including the events that happened afterward, such as Johnny Behan testifying against Wyatt Earp. Most people know about the shootout at the O.K. Corral, an event that made legends of a few then-little-known gunslingers. Four of the Earp brothers, including Wyatt Earp, and their friend, Doc Holliday, squared off against the Clantons and McLaurys and their outlaw friends. By the end of the 30-second fight, three cowboys were dead, three lawmen injured, and the incident was already on its way to becoming part of the mythology of the American West.

Far fewer people know what happened to the main players like Wyatt Earp after the Tombstone shootout, or how more minor Tombstone figures still had a huge impact on the events. One of those figures was Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan, who later testified against the Earps at the subsequent murder trial. Most of what we know about the shootout at the O.K. Corral comes from the trial testimony, making it a very he said/he said situation. Behan testified that the Clantons and their allies had their hands up and offered no resistance. However, the defense witnesses on behalf of the Earps and Doc Holliday discredited Behan's testimony with key evidence to the contrary. It cemented a feud between Behan and the Earps that never ended.

Johnny Behan's Role In The O.K. Corral Gunfight Explained

His Deception Likely Led To The Death Of Three People

While Johnny Behan wasn't present at the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, nor was he a participant in any of the violence that day, he certainly played a significant role in the events leading up to the shootout, which was only quickly touched upon in the new Netflix documentary. With tensions between the outlaws now known as the Cochise County Cowboys and the Earp clan and Doc Holliday, Cochise County Marshall Behan approached the Clantons and McLaurys in an attempt to get them to give up their weapons. Unfortunately, Frank McLaury refused, saying he would only do so if Virgil Earp, the city marshal at the time, and his brothers were disarmed first.

This is where the story gets murky. Records at the time show that after McLaury and the rest of the outlaws' refusal to be disarmed, Behan ran into the Earps and Holliday walking down the street toward the O.K. Corral. He was said to have told Virgil Earp not to confront the Clantons and McLaurys or they'd be killed. When Virgil replied that his intention was only to disarm them, Behan, as Wyatt Earp later testified, countered "I have disarmed them." (via Wayback Machine) Clearly, that was not the case and the cowboys were still very much armed, a fact that Behan well knew, seeing as how Frank and his posse had only moments before refused to give up their weapons.

By failing to disarm the outlaws and then leading the Earp lawmen to believe that the outlaws had been disarmed, it led to the shootout at the O.K. Corral, which resulted in the death of three men, Tom McLaury, Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury himself, and Doc Holliday, and Morgan and Virgil Earp being wounded. Later, in retaliation, the remaining cowboys ambushed Virgil and so badly wounded his arm that he never fully regained the use of it, and also murdered Morgan. After the shootout, as the injured lawmen were being carried past the Sheriff's office, Johnny Behan stepped out and informed the men he'd have to arrest them, to which Wyatt Earp responded that he'd deceived them by telling them the cowboys had been disarmed.

Why Johnny Behan Was Against Wyatt Earp & The Earp Family

The Feud Started When He And Wyatt Went For The Same Position

It was long suspected and documented that Behan was sympathetic to the cowboys and their cause, and was even friends with them. What's not entirely clear is if Behan just walked away after their refusal assuming they'd comply, or if he actively aided the outlaws by giving them a heads-up and warning that the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday were on their way and purposely lied to the Earps about having disarmed them. Either way, Behan's mishandling of the situation no doubt led to the deaths of the three outlaws and the injuries to the lawmen.

What is certain is that the Earps and Behan were at odds and that Behan sided with the outlaws. What's less certain is why he disliked the Earps in the first place, as one would think they'd have welcomed working together as lawmen. However, according to Wyatt Earp, the bad blood started when he and Behan were both running for the position of Cochise County sheriff. Earp agreed to drop out of the race against the more politically savvy Behan, with Behan promising to appoint him the undersheriff. Behan, however, did not keep up his end of the bargain and appointed someone else, an appointment that was overseen by cowboy posse members Ike Clanton and Johnny Ringo.

The bad blood intensified when the Earps publicly embarrassed Sheriff Behan and the Clantons in another incident that was recounted in conflicting testimonies. Shortly after the election, Wyatt Earp learned that the Clantons had one of his prize horses, which had been stolen from Earp the year before. Earp and Holliday headed to the Clantons ranch to recover the horse, where they came upon Behan, who was on his way to the Clantons to serve a subpoena. However, Behan claimed that Earp, who arrived before him, told the Clantons that Behan was on his way to arrest them for horse theft, an incident that left Behan and the Clantons looking like fools.

What Happened To Sheriff Johnny Behan After Wyatt Earp Left Tombstone

Behan Was His Own Worst Enemy

Though the Earps and Doc Holliday were exonerated after the trial, partly because they had been a deputized federal posse, their time in Tombstone had soured. During the Earps' vendetta ride on behalf of their slain brother Morgan, Behan attempted to rein them in, telling Wyatt Earp he wanted to see him. "Johnny, if you're not careful, you'll see me once too often," Wyatt is said to have replied (via Legends of America). As it turns out, Behan need not have worried. After exacting their revenge for Virgil's maiming and Morgan's murder, the Earp posse left Tombstone and the Arizona Territory entirely.

Even though his nemeses had left, that didn't mean Johnny Behan's problems were solved – mainly because he was the source of most of his own problems. It has to be remembered, it was the Wild West and even the lawmen of the time could be lawless themselves. Wyatt Earp didn't drink, but he certainly gambled and loved his prostitutes. Doc Holliday was also a gambler and had a certain recklessness as he was already half-dead from consumption. Though they were the lawmen, the line between legal and corrupt was all too blurred in those days in the West, and that was certainly the case for Behan.

A few months after the Earp vendetta ride, Behan got into a feud with his own deputy, Billy Breakenridge, who was also a friend of the Clanton clan. It's not clear what they fought over, but their feud became public, leading to increased scrutiny of the office. An investigation found that Behan had secretly set aside $5,000 in funds from unknown sources during his time as sheriff, about $155,000 today. Thanks to that corruption scandal and general public unhappiness with his term as sheriff, Behan lost his reelection bid that year. Five years later, a time period not covered in Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War, Behan left Tombstone for Yuma, Arizona, where he became the assistant superintendent of the Yuma Penitentiary.