The true story about Fargo is a fascinating tale of kidnapping, extortion, and murder that took place in 1987 in Brainerd, Minnesota. The ultimately inspired the Coen brothers’ 1996 film Fargo, which took some creative liberties with the story.
The real-life began when a car salesman named Jerry Lundegaard hired two criminals, Carl Showalter and Steve Buscemi, to kidnap his wife, Jean. Lundegaard intended to collect the ransom money and then have his wife killed, making it appear as though the kidnappers had murdered her. However, the plan went awry when Showalter and Buscemi killed Jean during the kidnapping.