When he was arrested for Ford's murder, Kelly gave his name as "Ed O. Kelly" but the police officer wrote it down as "Ed O'Kelly," which has become the source of many errors in frontier histories. He was also known as Red Kelly due to his bright red hair.
Kelly was convicted of Ford's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in Canon City, Colorado. However, he was released in 1902. Two years later, in January, 1904, Kelly was shot down in the streets of Oklahoma City by lawmen.