Valdosta has long had a claim on legendary Western figure “Doc” Holliday. Now, it may have a claim on another Western legend: The “ghost” of Billy the Kid.

William H. Cox II, who goes by Billy, isn’t a ghost. He’s a flesh-and-blood fellow who has recently moved to Valdosta to be closer to his wife Shaunda’s family. Yet, in the early 1990s, when he arrived in William H. Bonney’s Western stomping grounds, his resemblance to the famed outlaw led to Cox becoming “The Kid.”

His journey to New Mexico was all part of an odyssey surrounding Billy the Kid: A journey and an experience that added an unforgettable adventure to Cox’s young life.

Cox details his young life in his book, “The Adventures & Times of William H. Cox II: Billy the Kid.” This volume collects his story along with numerous New Mexico photographs of himself dressed in Western garb and newspaper articles about his resemblance to and portrayal of the Kid.

BILLY THE KID: LATE 1800s

William H. Bonney, Billy the Kid, gained notoriety in the late 1800s during the Lincoln County War. This conflict pitted the ranchers against the commercial monopoly of a general store in Lincoln County, N.M. Billy the Kid sided with the ranchers. “The Kid” moniker stemmed from his youth. Billy was only a teen. Legend claims he killed 21 men, one man for each year of his life. Many historians put Billy’s kills at a much lower number.

Still by the age when 21st century youths can legally drink, Billy the Kid was dead and his life on the way to becoming a legend. Sheriff Pat Garrett had shot him down. Garrett wrote a wild biography called “The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid.” This volume began the mythologizing of Billy the Kid, burnishing the legend that made William H. Bonney into a central figure of the American West.

Through the years, Billy acquired more legends. One old story even claimed Garrett never killed Billy and that the Kid lived to a ripe old age. From legend, Billy became the stuff of Hollywood. Kris Kristofferson, Val Kilmer, Roy Rogers are among the stars who have played Billy the Kid in movies. Emilio Estevez played Billy the Kid in the “Young Guns” movies of 1988 and 1990.

“Young Guns” attracted the attention of William H. Cox II. The movie changed his life.

BILLY THE KID: LATE 1900s

Billy Cox II grew up in Florida, one of three children. He played with his siblings, went to school, enjoyed the activities and music of most children growing up in the late 1960s and early ’70s.

Tragedy marred his childhood. His mother died when Billy was 13. Billy slowly adapted to the brutal loss by adopting the Nietchze philosophy: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

As a teen and young adult, Billy enjoyed his friend, music and the lifestyle of the times. He played competitive tennis in high school, ranking in Florida’s top 100. Then he saw “Young Guns.” The movie appealed to him. He felt pulled by the land in the movie.

“I felt connected to the land,” Cox says during an interview at The Valdosta Daily Times. He found the places on the map and decided to go to New Mexico.