The Cowboy Killer case

"Everybody wanna know, where did all the cowboys go?
Musta been the whiskey, maybe it was all the Marlboros.
But it ain't none of that, that laid 'em all low,
yeah, believe me, I know."
(Killed The Cowboy / Jordan Reynolds, Anderson East, Devin Dawson)

The first warning appeared as early as 1976 when Ed Bruce and his wife Patsy made a note saying: Mothers, don't let your boys become cowboys, let them rather play guitars or drive old trucks. A warning that soon made the rounds. Because Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings spread it all across America just two years later with the song 'Mamma's Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys', which spent a total of 4 weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. So poignantly that to date it has been listened to more than182 million times on Spotify.

After that, things remained quiet for many years and it seemed as if the issue had been resolved.

But completely unexpextedly, Jaron Boyer, Josh Hoge and Michael Tyler made people sit up and take notice in 2019. In brief words they recited an obvious eyewitness account under the headline 'Cowboy Killer'.  It surfaced in the public on November 22nd of that year on the album "9" by Jason Aldean. Visibly shaken by the circumstances, he tried to put this first description of the perpetrator into words. A description that people have heard around 9 million times on Spotify to date, yet without having been able to draw any decisive conclusions from it:

She got a way of lighting up the neon, turning heads.
She got a thing that turns me on, burning red.
Something 'bout them blues eyes staring right back in mine.
I swear I see the line, she's a cowboy killer.

(Cowboy Killer / Jaron Boyer, Josh Hoge, Michael Tyler)

A little over 2 years later, another report emerged about the ominous killer who only targeted cowboys. This time it was David Garcia, Carlton Anderson, Ian Munsick and Ryan Charles, who managed to tie up a description. Its content was similar to that already known and was officially published on February 25, 2022. Both coming from the US state of Wyoming, Ian Munsick, who had released his debut project "Coyote Cry" only the year before, and western rapper Ryan Charles tried to process the experience with bizarre humor in their version of 'Cowboy Killer'. A description that, according to official account, the population has been followed on Spotify more than 27 million times to date.

Turns every hat when she walks through that door.
Ain't never seen a cowgirl like her before.
She got lips like rattlesnake venom,
she don't miss in that Wrangler denim,
breaks your heart, then makes you beg for more.

(Cowboy Killer / David Garcia, Carlton Anderson, Ian Munsick, Ryan Charles)

 

Obviously the threat of the situation had finally reached the wider public. And so on September 29, 2023, even Dustin Lynch asked himself in his very latest project ("Killed The Cowboy") who killed the cowboy? And at the same time indicated that he not only knew exactly who, but even had proof of it. However, he could only reference well known musicians Jordan Reynolds, Anderson East and Devin Dawson as his sources.

It was that midnight stare,
look in her eyes like a knife to the heart.
And it was that poison kiss,
cherry red lips, oh my God.

Leanin' up against the bar and I know,
it wasn't the smoke,
it wasn't the drink,
and I've got the proof,
if you wanna know what killed the cowboy.
(Killed The Cowboy / Jordan Reynolds, Anderson East, Devin Dawson)

Ultimately, he too was missing the crucial piece of the puzzle and was only able to assume that the Cowboy Killer was still out there somewhere:

Well, she's off in the sunset, she's out on the run.
Bet she's halfway to Jackson by now.
And I'm heartbroke to hell and I'm drownin' the well,
while I'm tellin' the bartender how.
(Killed The Cowboy / Jordan Reynolds, Anderson East, Devin Dawson)

The next incident occurred shortly after. At the beginning of this year, another report about the Cowboy Killer surfaced. It was the most comprehensive and detailed description to date and was compiled by Cameron Backburn and Cotton Hill. On January 19, 2024, Blake Tyler went public with it. It was only the fourth release to date by the artist with the charismatic voice from the US state of Ohio.

Crickets ain’t singin’ and the moon ain’t out tonight.

Even the land knows somethin’ ain’t right.

There’s a young man hangin’ in a headlight glow.

Nobody’s gonna talk but everybody knows,

there’s a killer runnin’ free on the road somewhere.
(Cowboy Killer / Cameron Blackburn, Cotton Hill) 

His description ended with a dire warning:

Stay inside she’s a killing machine with Angel wings right above her jeans.

Draws you in with a heart of gold, she’ll spit you out and keep your soul.

Don’t look don’t touch don’t go home with her,

like a Marlboro Red she’s a cowboy killer.
(Cowboy Killer / Cameron Blackburn, Cotton Hill)

Then events started to happen not only fast, but were even overlapping. For shortly before, on January 6th, 2024, young Country and Americana singer-songwriter Morgan Lee Powers went public with her first project, forebodingly titled "How Naive". And that caused a sensation. Because competely unexpected and to everyone's surprise, she dropped the mask and revealed herself as the Cowboy Killer! Or did she?

I'm going out going to kick up dust and
chasing nothing but a blue eyed buzz.
Ripped jean queen tearing up the town,
I'm a cowboy killer with a shot of crown.
(Cowboy Killer / Chloe Brandsness, Elizabeth Cook, Morgan Lee Powers)

Although there still is no identified crime scene yet, it appears to be the most promising lead to the identity of the Cowboy Killer. Is Morgan Lee Powers therefore really the Cowboy Killer, or maybe even just one of many out there? Until doubtlessly proven, there is probably nothing else left to do but keep not only her, but the entire situation under further watch ...