Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were two of the most notorious criminals in the United States by the early 1930s. However, Bonnie and Clyde’s death in 1934 would cement the duo’s place in true crime legend.
They began as two young Texas kids — Bonnie as a waitress and Clyde as a laborer — but they were soon swept up in the thrill of the “Public Enemy Era,” typified by gangsters like John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson.
Bonnie and Clyde moved from town to town after meeting and falling in love, robbing banks, small businesses, and gas stations while becoming media darlings. Clyde was frequently portrayed in the press as a rebellious gangster, and Bonnie was portrayed as his lovestruck partner in crime.
However, the couple’s notoriety fueled the police’s determination to apprehend them. Authorities worked tirelessly to apprehend the duo as they raced across the country, from Texas to Minnesota.
Soon after, the duo’s crime spree came to a bloody end fit for two dramatic gangsters. After Bonnie and Clyde died, newspapers covered their deaths with the same zeal that they had covered their crimes. Americans all over the country were soon staring at the gruesome photos of their demise.
Bonnie and Clyde Story
Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were both born in Texas, Clyde in 1909 and Bonnie in 1910. They appeared to be an unlikely couple at first glance. Bonnie was well-known as a good student who enjoyed writing poetry. Meanwhile, Clyde was raised on a farm by a poor family and was arrested for the first time in 1926 for failing to return a rented car.
Despite this, it was love at first sight.
Bonnie was already married to another man when they met through a friend in 1930. But she quickly realized that she was only interested in Clyde. Bonnie never officially divorced Clyde, but she remained devoted to him even after he was imprisoned.
She waited for Clyde while he served a two-year prison sentence. And even though he emerged from prison changed — one friend noted that Clyde went from “a schoolboy to a rattlesnake” — Bonnie stuck by his side.
Soon after, their criminal career began in earnest, with the duo committing several robberies together. Clyde Barrow’s crimes, however, quickly escalated. Clyde decided to flee after one of his associates murdered a store owner in 1932. And he brought Bonnie along with him.
By 1933, Bonnie and Clyde had become notorious for their crimes, particularly after a shootout in Joplin, Missouri that killed two police officers. A later investigation of the crime scene revealed a camera full of photos of the couple, which were quickly published in newspapers across the country.
The New York Times, for example, described the duo in provocative terms. Bonnie was a “notorious Texas ‘bad man’ and murderer,” and Clyde was his “cigar-smoking, quick-shooting woman accomplice.”
Bonnie and Clyde had killed at least 13 people in their two years on the run. And the cops were hot on their tail.
Bonnie and Clyde Death
On the evening of May 21, 1934, a posse of six Texas and Louisiana police officers set up an ambush on a rural road in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. They were prepared to eliminate Bonnie and Clyde for good.
Authorities had increased their focus on the duo in the months leading up to the ambush. A warrant for their arrest had been issued by a Dallas grand jury in November 1933. W.D. Jones, one of their gang members, was arrested in Dallas in September and identified Bonnie and Clyde as the perpetrators of several crimes.
A few months later, another warrant was issued following the murder of a man in Texas. According to a farmer who claimed to have witnessed the murder, Bonnie held the gun and laughed as the man died. Although the witness may have exaggerated Bonnie’s involvement, the public’s perception of her changed as a result. She was previously viewed primarily as a bystander.
Unsurprisingly, the farmer’s story made headlines, and police in Texas offered a $1,000 reward for the pair’s bodies rather than their capture.
The cops were now prepared to take action.
To assassinate the infamous couple, authorities targeted a known accomplice named Henry Methvin. Bienville Parish was home to his family. Authorities suspected that if Methvin, Bonnie, and Clyde became separated, they would go to the Methvin house.
They used Methvin’s father, whom Bonnie and Clyde knew, as bait and had him wait on the side of the road. They then sat and waited. And then I waited. Finally, on May 23, around 9 a.m., police spotted Clyde’s stolen Ford V8 speeding down the road.
Bonnie and Clyde took the bait when they saw Methvin’s father parked on the side of the road. They pulled over, presumably to ask for his assistance.
The police officers then opened fire before they could even get out of the car. A shot to the head killed Clyde instantly. Bonnie screamed as she realized he’d been hit, according to one of the officers.
The cops continued to fire. They emptied their entire ammunition supply into the car, firing approximately 130 rounds in total. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were dead by the time the smoke cleared. Bonnie was 23 years old at the time. Clyde was 24 years old.
Bonnie and Clyde Death Photos Scene
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