 Jimmy was sentenced to life in prison and later released on parole, at which time Chief Ed, who had become a district judge, sealed the case so no record of it exists today.Writer, director and co-producer Steve Balderson based "Firecracker" on a real-life murder that occurred in Wamego in the 1950s, three blocks from the house where Balderson grew up.According to Balderson, a traveling carnival visited the town each year on July 4.