The scene: Ernest comforts Mollie in their bed. Theirs is a complicated relationship. Ernest clearly loves her but, at the same time, administers her insulin laced with poison, at the behest of his uncle.
The film never makes it clear what Ernest and the doctors mix into Mollie's insulin. Hale told Ernest, who's portrayed as a suggestible simpleton, the cocktail would slow her down. The movie makes it look like Ernest isn't even sure what's in the vials he pours into his wife's insulin, giving him plausible deniability.
What was he putting in her insulin in Killers of the Flower Moon?
Ernest's seemingly genuine adoration for Mollie comes laced with poison (literally — once they're married, he dilutes her insulin with morphine), courtesy of his uncle, William Hale (Robert De Niro), who gradually coaxes his nephew into helping murder Mollie's entire family for their money.
The movie shows Ernest slowly poisoning Mollie, who was diabetic, by giving her injections of what she was told was insulin to keep her weak and wasting away in bed during the later years of the Reign of Terror, an alleged attempt on her life that Mollie survived.
He even convinces his nephew, Ernest, to slowly poison his wife, Molly, under the guise of giving her life-saving insulin shots, in order to control and then inherit her wealth.
Mollie Burkhart's granddaughter, former chief speak on Osage Murders amid Killers of the Flower Moon
Was the insulin poison in Killers of the Flower Moon?
Ernest poisons Mollie. The scene: Ernest comforts Mollie in their bed. Theirs is a complicated relationship. Ernest clearly loves her but, at the same time, administers her insulin laced with poison, at the behest of his uncle.
After his release from prison, Burkhart moved back to Osage County to live with his brother Byron. Later he moved to Cleveland, Oklahoma, living in a "mice-infested" trailer. Burkhart died at the age of 94 on December 1, 1986, in Cleveland, Oklahoma. His death came on what would have been Mollie Kyle's 100th birthday.
Despite claiming to love his wife dearly, Ernest and doctors (provided by Hale) appear to slowly poison Mollie while administering insulin shots for diabetes, adding something to her insulin.
In the film, actor Lily Gladstone portrays Mollie Burkhart, a real member of the Osage Nation whose mother, sisters and other family members were killed over their headrights, or rights to oil reserves found underneath their reservation in Oklahoma.
Mollie's daughter Anna, named after her sister, really died of whooping cough at the age of 4 just like in the movie. Mollie eventually divorced her husband, Ernest Burkhart, and remarried a man named John Cobb in 1928. She stayed with him until her death in June 1937 at 50 years old.
Perhaps the most important point to understand about mollies before you purchase them is that they might have babies. Mollies are livebearers — fish that give birth to live babies instead of eggs — and females can have up to 100 fry (baby fish) at a time.
Fury can be seen cradling the newborn in his arms while Hague hugs her partner. The post also confirmed the baby was born on January 23. Representatives for Molly-Mae told MailOnline: “Molly and Tommy feel so blessed to have welcomed a healthy baby girl in to their family on the 23rd of January 2023.
In January 1922, Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy dying from type 1 diabetes, became the first person to receive an injection of insulin. Within 24 hours, Leonard's dangerously high blood sugar levels dropped, but he developed an abscess at the site of the injection and still had high levels of ketones.
Ernest was sentenced to life in prison in 1926 for his hand in the murder of Mollie's sisters. However, only 11 years after being sentenced, Ernest was paroled (via The Oklahoman). Although Burkhart may have thought he lucked out, his parole status didn't last long.
In 1966, Ernest applied for a pardon. Citing his cooperation with the investigation (White had credited his confession as vital for the convictions of Hale and Ramsey), the Oklahoma Parole Board voted 3–2 in favor of a pardon, which was granted by Governor Henry Bellmon. Ernest Burkhart died in 1986.
Type 2 diabetes among American Indians is the result of decreasing traditional foods of wild game, garden produce, and seasonal fruits, vegetables, tubers, and herbs, in favor of overindulging in sugary, starchy, and fatty foods and adopting a sedentary way of life.
Mollie was Osage but spoke some English and eventually, Ernest learned some of her language, too. The two fell in love, and with Hale's encouragement, they married in 1917.
It's hard to know what is truly in another's heart, but Grann told the British newspaper the Independent that “all the letters and interviews I did clearly indicate he had genuine feelings for Mollie.” He also wrote in the New Yorker that “Ernest studied her native language until he could talk with her in it.
What happened to Ernest and Mollie Burkhart's children?
Ernest and Mollie Burkhart's son, James Burkhart, grew up and started a family after the end of Killers of the Flower Moon. According to an article by The Washington Post, James, who went by the nickname "Cowboy," married and had two daughters, Doris and Margie.
Over 2,000 Osage individuals made it to the Osage Nation Reservation in 1872; today, our Nation's population is over 25,000 strong, with 4,467 individuals living in Osage County on the Osage Nation Reservation.
Margie Burkhart, Mollie's granddaughter, told Grann that living on the Osage Reservation with Cobb was a period of happiness for her, and in 1937, Mollie died at the age of 50. As read by Scorsese during a cameo in the film, Mollie's short obituary stated: "Mrs.
Other prominent conditions in the film are diabetes and a “wasting disease,” implied to be in many cases undiagnosed diabetes, that takes the lives of many Osage people before they reach the age of 50. Mollie Burkhart, played by Lily Gladstone, is one of several Osage people who suffer with the disease.
Ernest Burkhart's decision to testify against his uncle stemmed from being backed into a corner and realizing that his uncle did not care about the consequences of their actions.
William King Hale (December 24, 1874 – August 15, 1962) was an American political and crime boss in Osage County, Oklahoma, who was responsible for the Osage Indian murders, for which he was later convicted. He made a fortune through cattle ranching, contract killings, and insurance fraud.
The story that Killers of the Flower Moon projects onto the big screen is one that's hard for many of us to confront, and the horrific nature of the events might even cause some viewers to chalk it up to creative Hollywood writers. But the great majority of the events of the film are, unfortunately, accurate.
