Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Hale orchestrated the murders of wealthy Osage tribe members, including Mollie's family, to inherit their oil head-rights. He believed that if Mollie's relatives died, her husband Ernest would inherit additional head-rights through her, allowing Hale to control the wealth through his nephew.

Foreshadowing: Early in the film, Hale presents himself as a benevolent supporter of the Osage while privately viewing them as weak and sickly, establishing his predatory intentions.

• william king hale
• mollie kyle
• head-rights
• murder plot
• inheritance

Head-rights were ownership shares in Osage oil revenues that each tribal member possessed. Because the Osage retained mineral rights when oil was discovered, these head-rights provided immense wealth. When an Osage person died, their head-rights could be inherited by their spouse, making marriage to a full-blood Osage a way to access this wealth.

Foreshadowing: The discovery of oil during the 'flower moon' season immediately transforms the Osage into the highest per capita GDP in the world, showing how valuable these rights became.

• head-rights
• osage nation
• oil wealth
• mineral rights
• inheritance

Ernest initially pursued Mollie partly because of her valuable oil head-rights, but their relationship developed into genuine love. They married in a ceremony blending Catholic and Osage traditions and raised three children together.

Foreshadowing: Ernest becomes increasingly invested in Osage culture and history while dating Mollie, showing his genuine connection developing alongside his ulterior motives.

• ernest burkhart
• mollie kyle
• marriage
• romance
• osage

Hale poisoned Mollie's insulin supply. Since Mollie was diabetic and depended on insulin, Hale contaminated it to kill her slowly while making her death appear natural. The poisoning severely weakened her but also unintentionally affected Ernest when he consumed food prepared by her.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Hale instructs Ernest to kill Mollie's remaining sister and husband, showing his escalating desperation to eliminate the family.

• poisoning
• insulin
• mollie kyle
• diabetes
• hale

After witnessing the devastating loss of his family and wanting to protect his remaining children, Ernest chose to cooperate with authorities. Despite pressure from Hale's attorney to recant, he provided testimony that convicted both his uncle and himself.

Foreshadowing: The film shows Ernest becoming increasingly trapped and desperate as the investigation closes in, particularly after Blackie Thompson is caught and implicates him.

• ernest burkhart
• testify
• hale
• confession
• justice

Barney McBride, a white oilman chosen by the Osage council to travel to Washington D.C. and petition for federal intervention against the murders, was killed by unknown attackers in the capital city.

Foreshadowing: The Osage council's decision to send a white oilman instead of one of their own reflects their attempt to work within the white power structure.

• barney mcbride
• washington
• petition
• federal intervention
• murder

Local authorities were complicit or intimidated, Hale was a reserve deputy sheriff with significant political influence. The Osage were forced to have white guardians manage their finances, and many investigations never occurred. The case only gained federal attention after outside pressure and the persistence of Osage leaders like Mollie.

Foreshadowing: During Hale's influence, numerous Osage deaths are described as 'mysterious' with investigations never occurring, establishing the local corruption.

• fbi investigation
• thomas white
• corruption
• local authorities
• delay

The newsreel showing the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, where white residents destroyed a Black Greenwood community, intensifies the Osage fear and dread. It demonstrates the broader climate of racial violence in America and underscores why the Osage had reason to fear for their lives.

Foreshadowing: This scene occurs as tensions rise within the Osage community following increasing mysterious deaths, heightening their sense of vulnerability.

• tulsa race massacre
• newsreel
• fear
• racial violence
• 1921

Before targeting the murders, Ernest and Byron participated in an armed robbery targeting the Osage community as a way to steal money. This establishes their criminal nature and shows how white outsiders exploited and preyed upon the Osage.

Foreshadowing: This early criminal act demonstrates that Ernest was already willing to harm Osage people for personal gain before the murders began.

• ernest burkhart
• byron
• robbery
• osage
• crime

After Hale and Ernest were sentenced to life in prison, Mollie eventually relocated and married another man. She died from diabetes at age 50 in 1937, and notably, her obituary made no mention of her family's tragic history.

Foreshadowing: The film shows Mollie's health never fully recovered from the poisoning, setting up her early death.

• mollie kyle
• death
• 1937
• aftermath
• diabetes

Hale ordered Byron Burkhart to kill Mollie's sister Anna, who was described as rebellious. Byron collaborated with Kelsie Morrison to carry out the murder, making it appear as if the Osage community was responsible.

Foreshadowing: This follows the pattern of Minnie's death, as Hale systematically eliminates Mollie's family members to increase Ernest's inheritance.

• anna kyle
• murder
• byron
• kelsie
• morrison

Hale needed a willing participant within the Osage community to carry out the murders without immediate suspicion. By using his nephew Ernest, who had married into the tribe, Hale could orchestrate the killings while maintaining his public image as a benevolent supporter of the Osage.

Foreshadowing: Hale's public persona as a friend to the Osage who speaks their language and gives gifts contrasts sharply with his private contempt for them.

• ernest burkhart
• hale manipulation
• conspiracy
• murder plot