And with three Colombian hitmen jailed over his murder in 1986, it would seem that the narrative over the notorious airman's life and death is complete.

But the one person who knew Seal best - his widow Debbie – has revealed she is still haunted by doubts over who ordered his death, which came in a hail of bullets in Louisiana in 1986.

The 280lb airman dubbed 'El Gordo' - Spanish for The Fat Man – had made millions of dollars flying almost 60 tons of cocaine into the US during the 1970s and 1980s before turning federal informant.

In the years that followed his fatal shooting, conspiracy theories and misinformation from the US government have prompted skepticism, despite life sentences for a trio of cartel members later caught in New Orleans.

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Seal was a professional pilot who had worked for TWA (he is pictured in their uniform in 1965) to fulfill his childhood dreams and been one of their youngest captains. He made a fortune drug-smuggling then turned federal informer

'There are many avenues to go down,' said Debbie, 65, who remains anguished and in search of answers decades later.

'There are many people that Barry associated with who had means and motives to have him killed.

'Although I know who pulled the trigger I'm not 100 percent sure I know who was behind it.

'The movie has made no difference to me in terms of the questions I have over his death and about who was behind the assassination.'

Despite her ongoing torment, Seal's widow had been eager for her chance to see the big budget crime thriller and went to watch it with the entire family on the first Friday of its US release.

She told how the film itself became a blur, as her mind was forced to recall a lifetime of memories, ranging from deliriously happy to devastatingly sad. 

She said: 'I went to watch it with my whole family and we all sat through it together. I had not seen the script so I knew I was going to be as surprised as anyone else.

'Of course, the kids were asking me at different parts 'Is that what happened mom?'

'But honestly, I was watching but my mind just was going back in time, to my life with my husband.

'The tears were falling down my face and I was particularly anxious to see how they would handle the murder itself.'

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