Walt Longmire’s Dark Past, His Wife’s Mu:rder, and the Love Story Fans Waited Years to See

He carried the weight of loss for years — a haunting grief born from his wife’s brutal murder. But behind the sheriff’s stoic gaze was a man fighting his own demons… and holding onto a love story that fans never stopped hoping for. This is the journey of Walt Longmire — the pain, the justice, and the romance that finally broke through the darkness…

1. A Quiet Man With a Hidden Past

Walt Longmire was born and raised in Durant, Absaroka County, Wyoming. On screen, he’s portrayed as a stoic, soft-spoken sheriff who always puts duty and justice first.

In Craig Johnson’s original novels, Walt is older, a USC graduate, and a decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War. His military service and experiences in the rugged West shaped him into the man he is today—resilient, unshakable, and deeply rooted in his principles.

In later books like First Frost, Johnson peels back more layers of Walt’s younger years, revealing post-war struggles and mysteries from Wyoming’s remote corners that explain his hardened but empathetic nature.

2. Tragedy Strikes: The Mysterious Death of Martha Longmire

Martha, Walt’s beloved wife, dies before the series begins. In the books, she succumbs to cancer—but in the TV series, her death is no accident. She is murdered in a staged robbery in Denver, a crime orchestrated by Barlow Connally, who hires David Ridges and Miller Beck to kill her as part of a larger casino scheme.

Walt eventually uncovers the truth, leading to a tense final confrontation where he delivers justice himself. But the emotional cost is staggering. Her murder sends Walt into a spiral of grief and depression, a burden he keeps secret from his daughter, Cady, and closest friends.

3. Love and Heartbreak in the Series

On screen: Walt briefly dates wealthy and mysterious Lizzie Ambrose, but the relationship fizzles. Later, he becomes involved with therapist Donna Monaghan—again, not the lasting connection he needs.

Everything changes in the final season. In the episode Goodbye Is Always Implied, Walt and his deputy, Vic Moretti, finally confess their feelings for each other. After years of tension, they step into a future together—one that fans had been rooting for since Season 1.

In the novels: Walt and Vic’s romance begins much earlier, starting in Kindness Goes Unpunished (Book 3). Their relationship runs deep, tested by tragedy when Vic suffers a miscarriage after being stabbed—a moment that forges an even stronger bond between them. In the books, Cady marries Vic’s brother and has a daughter, Lola, who holds a special place in Walt’s heart.

4. Family and the Friend Who Knows Him Best

Henry Standing Bear is Walt’s oldest friend, a bond forged in childhood. When Cady is born, Henry becomes her godfather. The two men share an unshakable loyalty, often standing side-by-side in the face of danger.

Cady, Walt’s only child, grows into a sharp and principled lawyer. She later becomes a mother herself, naming her daughter Lola after Henry’s beloved car.

5. The Man Behind the Badge

Walt Longmire isn’t just another fictional lawman—he’s a portrait of resilience, loyalty, and the quiet struggle between personal pain and public duty. Torn between the grief of his past and the responsibilities of his present, Walt embodies the rugged spirit of the American West: a man who carries his wounds in silence but never stops fighting for what’s right.

Could Longmire be set to make a comeback?

Longmire is set to leave  Netflix on January 1, 2025 after a decade-long  streaming run, and rumors are circulating about the possibility of the show’s being revived by Warner Bros., which owns the intellectual property rights to the series.

On social media,Craig Johnson, the author of the 20-plus Longmire novels the show was based on, expressed his hopes for a Longmire revival and voiced strong opinions about the deal that kept the show on Netflix for so long. He also noted his disappointment that Longmire was removed and said he’d canceled his Netflix subscription as a result.

“I’m to understand that Netflix is officially dropping Longmire from its lineup at the end of the year, even though the show is still alive and well in the ratings. I hear it’s been picked up by Paramount+, and I’m curious to see if Warner [Bros.], now free from the sweetheart deal with Netflix, will finally consider reviving the show. … Interesting times. I took a great deal of satisfaction canceling my Netflix subscription; when I got to the box where they asked why and simply wrote … LONGMIRE,” Johnson wrote on Facebook.

Longmire originally aired on A&E for three seasons, from 2012 to 2017, topping out at 6 million viewers per episode before being canceled by A&E when Warner Bros. refused to sell the brand to the network.

“A broadcaster can make a lot more money off a show if they own it, rather than leasing it from a studio,” Johnson told Cowboy State Daily in 2022. “But Warner Bros. knew they had a hit on their hands with Longmire and wouldn’t sell.”

In addition to fan backlash over the cancellation of the beloved series, A&E lost nearly one-third of its audience after it canceled Longmire, Johnson said.

Netflix revived the series and continued it for an additional three seasons. After Season 6 aired in 2017, Netflix approached Warner Bros. to buy the series, butWarner Brothers refused again. So Longmire ended and the rights have lain dormant since 2017.

Now, with no dedicated streaming deal in place, Johnson said he hopes Warner Bros. will consider reviving the show. The Longmire stars have also shown interest in reviving the series.

“There’s always talk about doing some movies,” said Robert Taylor, who played Sheriff Walt Longmire, in an interview with UPI earlier this year. “That could seriously happen.”

If Longmire is revived, it couldn’t come at a better time. The popularity of the neo-western genre has surged over the past six years, largely driven by Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone series and its spinoffs like Landman. Longmire remains a notable example of a show that hasn’t been revisited despite its success. The series continues to enjoy a dedicated fan base, with events like the annual Longmire Days celebration in Buffalo, Wyoming, drawing tens of thousands of fans each year to honor the show and its characters.