The Johnston Gang operated on one simple principle: Don't snitch on the family. People who did found out the hard way how far the Johnstons would go to keep their crimes secret. In August 1978, the family's criminal empire came crumbling down when their threats and intimidation turned to murder. The Killing Month August 1978 is the true story of a rural crime family that would stop at nothing to keep people quiet—even their own children.