Known As Bonnie And Clyde example essay topic

The term Spree Murders is defined as involved killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders (Schmalleger, 41). Bonnie and Clyde are the classic of all criminals in my opinion and are the main study of this review on Spree Murders. In a small farm outside of Dallas, Texas on March 24, 1909, Clyde Champion Barrow was born. Being from a poor family of eight his parents sent their children away to different family members in surrounding areas. This separation created much neglect and anti-social behavior in Clyde that caused him to be classified as a psychopathic. Clyde's first criminal act on record was a robbery attempt in 1929.

Along with his brother, Buck, and other friends, they stole a safe. However this attempt was foiled in part by the bad driving of Clyde that caught the attention of local police officers on patrol. Clyde than wrecked the car and escaped (Honcshell, 87). His Brother Buck however was shot, arrested and sentenced to serve five years in the state penitentiary.

Clyde's first experience with Bonnie Parker was when he escaped from jail and went to see her over in western Texas on the date of January 1930. A year younger than Clyde, Bonnie was described as a "mischievous high spirited child that grew up in a seemingly normal atmosphere" (Honcshell, 88). Her mother was very dear to her and had problems being away from her at long periods of time. Bonnie was also known for violent behavior and often got into fights as a high school student.

Despite all these clues of criminal behavior, she still displayed normal tendencies toward society. She was married to a boy by the name of Roy Thornton at the age of sixteen. Problems in the marriage arouse when Bonnie's husband would leave for long periods of time. This would not sit well with bonnie and she would end of leaving him in the spring of 1929.

In January of 1930 Bonnie visited a girlfriend house to help with some medical complications. This is the first time She meet Clyde and from there on in the were inseparable. Clyde was then caught and taken to jail after Bonnie took him home to meet her mother. Clyde was released from Jail in 1932, returned to Dallas to see his family and of course Bonnie.

Clyde made an honest attempt to settle down and go down the strait and narrow path, but it only lasted for a short while. The restrictions of society were too much for Clyde to bear, and from there started the Barrow gang, otherwise known as Bonnie and Clyde; it lasted for approximately two years. The group's first criminal act was just as disastrous as Clyde first attempt with his brother. They tried and rob a small town store outside of Dallas; Bonnie was captured and held from March till June in 1932.

Due to not enough evidence presented against Bonnie, she was released. After her release she joined up with Clyde and his life of crime for good. The first successful attempt at robbery was also Clyde's first murder. In April of 1932 the gang held up a general store. Clyde then shot the owner after he was opening the safe to make change. They got away with two thousand dollars in diamonds and fifteen dollars cash.

These hit and run robberies were common to Bonnie and Clyde. The group was unstable, losing and gaining members throughout history, and they had to hold up shops and steal cars to get by. They would go weeks on one robbery, but as soon as money would get low the gang would think of another place to rob. This is typical of spree criminals, same criminal act in two or more different locations. One of Barrow gang's famous shootouts was in a local Missouri town by the name of Joplin. Bonnie and Clyde had been on the run by this time for about a year and were working there way into stardom when Clyde's brother, buck, asked to have a reunion type of meeting to talk about turning themselves in.

Buck was now married and had served his time for his priors with Clyde. Bonnie and Clyde agreed to this meeting shortly after robbing the Oran ogo bank in Carthage, Missouri. The group did some relaxing and visiting amongst family, sharing stories and adventures experienced by the two brothers. This quiet life continued for about two weeks till money started to get tight. The increase activity in the apartment drew attention to the group by one of the neighbors. More specifically, one neighbor noticed that different license plates were being used on the same car and reported this to the highway patrol (wood, 44).

Two patrol officers were dispatched to the apartment site. They found that the plates were under the name of Barrow, while the apartment was under the name of Callahan. Officers on site made the assumption that the tenants in the apartment were either bootleggers or burglars. Calling for back up from the Joplin police department, a warrant was issued to allow the officers to investigate. Unknown to them was the fact of who they were up against, Bonnie and Clyde.

Clyde was the first to spot the police and to also start shooting. The rest of the gang fallowed Clyde's lead and positioned them selves around the apartment shooting at the police. The entire shootout lasted approximately ten minutes, but in the middle of the firefight, two policemen were killed. The gang, which had picked up two new members, escaped with only minor injuries and fled through Seneca heading toward Texas. During this time the FBI was coming up with a plan of capture for these notorious criminals. Previous attempts at capture were unsuccessful but the bureau was limiting the places the gang could hide out.

Bonnie and Clyde were becoming too well known by the public. Pictures and articles on the two lovers made the idea of bank robbery an adventure to good to pass up. Along with becoming famous also came the higher risk of getting caught. The group was at the point of sleeping in cars they had stolen just to remain undiscovered. One such incident caused the capture on Bucks wife, blanch, and the death of Buck himself.

In occurred in Dexter, Iowa, the gang was taking a break from being on the road when a farmer noticed them and reported it to the local sheriff. The group was ambushed with a wave of ammunition. Everyone had injuries, but Bonnie and Clyde still found a way to escape. Buck was shot in the head, and his wife was pried from his dying body and hauled away to jail. Blanch was sentenced to ten years in the state pen.

The barrow gang was just now Bonnie and Clyde. The end was growing closer and closer. Some say Bonnie and Clyde new their doom was coming because Bonnie used to write about it in poems she wrote. The ambush set up by the FBI was to take place on an open search of highway outside the city limits of Sailes, Louisiana. In the early morning hours the unsuspecting pair stopped to help a friend that looked as if they had gotten a flat tire. As soon as Clyde got out of the car Bonnie noticed someone in the woods and screamed.

This caused the police officers and Texas Rangers, which were hidden in the woods, to open fire on Bonnie and Clyde. The pair that had been building such a reputation as notorious outlaws were killed instantly. After the brave and successful actions taken in part of the Rangers and Other law officials, a local officer from Joplin, Missouri wrote a letter of appreciation and congratulations on behalf of the Joplin police offices and the family members of the two Joplin officers that were slain by the two criminals. Schmallenger, Frank. Criminal Justice Today Sixth Edition. A Simon & Schuster Company.

Upper Saddle River. United States of America. 2001 Hon schell, Jim. Lawmen and Outlaws 116 Years in Joplin History.

Published in Cooperation with The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #27. W alsworth Publishing Company, Inc. USA. 45-48 and 87-89.1989 Wood, Larry.

The Ozark Mountaineer. January / February 1991. USA. 43-44.1991. Draper, W.R. and Mabel. The Blood-Soaked Career of Bonnie Parker. E. Hallman-julius Publishers.

USA. 1946 Your FBI - History - Famous Cases - "Bonnie and Clyde". web November 2, 2000.