Duane Earl Pope

Last updated
Duane Earl Pope
Duane Earl Pope 2016-07-01.jpg
Pope in a 2016 BOP photograph
Born (1943-02-08) February 8, 1943 (age 81)
EducationDegree Industrial Education
Alma materMcPherson College
Occupation(s)Farm Worker, student
Known for3 murders, bank robbery
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Criminal status Incarcerated
Conviction(s) Federal
Killing during the commission of a bank robbery (18 U.S.C. § 2113) (3 counts)
Assault during the commission of a bank robbery (18 U.S.C. § 2113)
Bank robbery (18 U.S.C. § 2113) (2 counts)
Nebraska
First degree murder (3 counts)
Shooting with intent to kill, wound, or maim
Criminal penalty Death; commuted to life imprisonment
CommentsNext Parole Review Date: September 2026
Details
DateJune 4, 1965
Country United States
State(s) Nebraska
KilledAndreas Kjeldgaard, Glenn Hendrickson, Lois Ann Hothan
InjuredFranklin Kjeldgaard paralyzed for life
WeaponsRuger .38 semiautomatic pistol
Imprisoned at Nebraska State Penitentiary

Duane Earl Pope (born February 8, 1943) [2] is an American mass murderer and former fugitive serving a life sentence for the violent 1965 robbery of the Farmers State Bank in Big Springs, Nebraska, in which three people were murdered and one was left severely injured.

Contents

Early life

Pope grew up on a small, 160-acre (65 ha) farm outside Roxbury, Kansas, an unincorporated town in the northeast portion of McPherson County. One of eight siblings, he was described as shy, quiet, and athletic as a child. He grew up with a fascination for guns and tractors. He graduated in 1965 from McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas, with a degree in industrial education, although he lacked the teaching component of that degree that would have let him obtain a job teaching high school industrial arts. He had the idea to rob the Big Springs bank while working in wheat fields there one summer while he was in college. In college, he bought several caterpillar tractors/bulldozers and was contemplating starting an excavation business, but needed money for a trailer. [3]

In preparation for the Big Springs robbery, he built handmade silencers for his pistols in the machine shops at his college and experimented with them in his family's barn. He also fashioned a breastplate out of a piece of a bulldozer blade. Two days after graduating from college, Pope borrowed fifty dollars from his father and said he was heading for Oklahoma to look for work. Instead, he went to Salina, Kansas, rented a new car, and drove to Nebraska. [4]

Criminal career

Late in the morning of June 4, 1965, after circling the bank and watching for the morning customers to leave, Pope conversed with a banker pretending to be a landowner seeking a loan. He then pulled out a Ruger .38 semiautomatic pistol and ordered the bank employees to fill his briefcase with cash. After getting what he could (about $1,600), Pope ordered the four bank workers to lie face down on the floor, where he shot them execution-style in the back and in the neck. Three of the victims, bank president Andreas "Andy" Kjeldgaard, 77, cashier Glenn Hendrickson, 59, and bookkeeper Lois Ann Hothan, 35, died instantly. The fourth, Franklin Kjeldgaard, 25, survived, but was paralyzed for life [5] until his death in 2012. Franklin Kjeldgaard, who returned to work at the bank and served as president until 2004, when his family sold it, died July 6, 2012, aged 72. [6] [7]

Pope made a circuitous exit from Big Springs, spotted by several witnesses. He tossed his gun and breastplate along the road; they were recovered by the FBI. He dropped some of the money off at his family home and returned the car to Hertz in Salina. He then traveled by bus and plane to Tijuana, Mexico, by way of Fort Worth and El Paso, Texas. In San Diego, California, Pope discovered that authorities had deduced his identity. He next went to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he gambled and enjoyed himself. [3]

Pope appeared on the FBI 10 Most Wanted List for one day. [8] Upon reading an appeal for him to surrender issued by the president of his college, Pope flew to Kansas City, Missouri, where he turned himself in. He gave a 19-page confession to Kansas City police and was extradited to Nebraska. [3]

Pope's lawyers argued that he was insane and had schizoid personality disorder. [1]

Duane Earl Pope FBI Most Wanted Poster in 1965 Duane Earl Pope (FBI).jpg
Duane Earl Pope FBI Most Wanted Poster in 1965

Pope was ruled competent to stand trial and was tried in 1965 in front of a federal jury in the U.S. District Court in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was found guilty of six charges, including three counts of murder in the commission of a bank robbery, and sentenced to death. In 1968, Pope's federal death sentence was overturned and he was resentenced to life in prison. In 1970, Pope was tried in state court by a judge in Deuel County, Nebraska. He was convicted of three counts of first degree murder and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to life in prison by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972 as part of the Furman v. Georgia package of cases that determined that the death penalty, as then practiced, was unconstitutional. [9] [10] Pope remained at USP Leavenworth (Register Number: 85021–132) until July 1, 2016. On that date, aged 73, he was granted federal parole and then transported to Nebraska to begin serving three life sentences handed down in 1970 by Nebraska (Department Correctional Services ID: 84196). [11] From 1978–83, while incarcerated, Pope was married to a college girlfriend, Ramona Lowe. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ma Barker</span> American mother of several criminals and Barker Gang leader (1873–1935)

Kate Barker, better known as Ma Barker, was the mother of several American criminals who ran the Barker–Karpis Gang during the "public enemy era" when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the Midwestern United States gripped the American people and press. She traveled with her sons during their criminal careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton Waagner</span> American bank robber and anti-abortion terrorist

Clayton Lee Waagner is an American convicted bank robber and anti-abortion terrorist. He was born Roger Waagner in North Dakota. He was an escaped fugitive during the spring, summer and fall of 2001 and was the FBI's 467th fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list for carjackings, firearms violations, and bank robbery on September 21, 2001. He was placed on the United States Marshals Service Top 15 Fugitives list for sending more than 280 letters that claimed to contain anthrax, which he mailed to Planned Parenthood with return addresses of the Marshals Service and the Secret Service beginning in October 2001. He is currently in prison.

The Nebraska State Penitentiary (NSP) is a state correctional facility for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Located in Lincoln, it is the oldest state correctional facility in Nebraska, opening in 1869. Until after World War I, it was the only adult correctional facility in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Isben Rogge</span> American bank robber (born 1940)

Leslie Isben Rogge is an American bank robber who was the first criminal on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives to be apprehended due to the internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1969</span>

In 1969, the United States FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover, continued for a twentieth year to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

The Wichita Massacre, also known as the Wichita Horror, was a week-long violent crime spree perpetrated by brothers Reginald and Jonathan Carr, in the city of Wichita, Kansas, between December 8 and 15, 2000. Five people were killed, and two people, a man and a woman, were severely wounded. The brothers were arrested and convicted of multiple counts of murder, kidnapping, robbery, and rape. They were both sentenced to death in October 2002. Their vicious crimes created panic in the Wichita area resulting in an increase in the sales of guns, locks, and home security systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxbury, Kansas</span> Unincorporated community in McPherson County, Kansas

Roxbury is a census-designated place (CDP) in McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 70. It is located about 10.5 miles east of Interstate 135.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Randell Wilcoxson</span>

Bobby Randell Wilcoxson was an American bank robber who appeared on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort McPherson, Nebraska</span> 19th-century U.S. Army outpost in Nebraska, United States

Fort McPherson, originally called Cantonment McKean and popularly known as Fort Cottonwood and Post Cottonwood, was an Indian Wars-era U.S. Army installation in the Nebraska Territory, located near the site of present-day North Platte, Nebraska.

Frank Nash was an American bank robber, and has been called "the most successful bank robber in U.S. history." He is most noted for his violent death in the Kansas City Massacre. Nash spent part of his childhood in Paragould, Arkansas and was arrested in Hot Springs, Arkansas the day before his death.

Robert G. "Big Bob" Brady was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. A well-known Oklahoma bandit during the 1920s and 1930s, Brady was associated with Wilbur Underhill, Harvey Bailey and Jim Clark.

Ed Davis was an American burglar, bank robber, and Depression-era outlaw. He was particularly active in Oklahoma, referred to by authorities as "The Fox", and frequently teamed with Jim Clark and Frank Sawyer during the early 1930s. Eventually captured in 1934, he was involved in a failed escape attempt from Folsom State Prison, resulting in the deaths of one guard and two inmates, and was executed at San Quentin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holden–Keating Gang</span> Former American bank robbing gang

The Holden–Keating Gang was a bank robbing team, led by Thomas James Holden and Francis Lawrence Keating, which was active in the Midwestern United States from 1926 to 1932. Holden was described by a spokesman for the FBI as "a menace to every man, woman, and child in America" and was the first fugitive to be officially listed on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted List in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Green (criminal)</span> American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw

Harold Eugene "Eddie" Green was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw during the 1930s, best known as a member of the John Dillinger gang. He was also associated with Frank "Jelly" Nash, Volney Davis and the Barker-Karpis Gang in his early career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse James</span> American outlaw (1847–1882)

Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie" area of Missouri, James and his family maintained strong Southern sympathies. He and his brother Frank James joined pro-Confederate guerrillas known as "bushwhackers" operating in Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War. As followers of William Quantrill and "Bloody Bill" Anderson, they were accused of committing atrocities against Union soldiers and civilian abolitionists, including the Centralia Massacre in 1864.

Wilbur Underhill Jr., often called "Mad Dog" or the "Tri-State Terror", was an American criminal, burglar, bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. He was one of the most wanted bandits in Oklahoma during the 1920s and 1930s and co-led a gang with Harvey Bailey that included many fellow Cookson Hills outlaws including Jim Clark, Ed Davis and Robert "Big Bob" Brady.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barker–Karpis Gang</span> 1930s American criminal gang

The Barker–Karpis Gang was one of the longest-lived criminal gangs during the Depression Era, spanning from 1931 to 1935. The gang was founded by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis, and later joined by Fred's brother Arthur "Doc" Barker. Along with the three core members, the gang's network spanned up to 25 members at one point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikko Jenkins</span> American murderer on death row (born 1986)

Nikko Allen Jenkins is an American spree killer convicted of committing four murders in Omaha, Nebraska, in August 2013. The murders occurred within a month after he had been released from prison after serving 10-and-a-half years of the 18 years to which he had been sentenced for a carjacking committed at age 15 and for assaults committed in prison. Jenkins later stated that he had committed the killings at the command of the ancient serpent god Apophis. He was found competent to stand trial, found guilty of the four murders, and was sentenced to death in May 2017.

The Lincoln National Bank robbery took place on September 17, 1930 when a group of armed men entered a bank in Lincoln, Nebraska, stole approximately $2.7 million in cash and securities, and then fled with help of a getaway driver. No one was seriously injured during the robbery. The majority of the money was never recovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Rardon</span> American serial killer (1943–2024)

Gary Duane Rardon was a convicted American serial killer and spree killer who killed a man in Indiana in 1962, then robbed and killed three working men in Chicago, Illinois over a four-day period in 1974.

References

  1. 1 2 Stephen, Kamie (July 1, 2016). "Man who committed bloody Nebraska bank robbery in 1965 will leave prison Friday — but he's far from free". World-Herald News Service. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  2. Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. "Pope profile" . Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Grove, Noel (2008). Anyone But Duane. AuthorHouse. ISBN   978-1-4389-0990-5.
  4. Graham, Frank (December 4, 2008). "North Platte Bulletin - Big Springs bank robbery recounted in new book". North Platte Bulletin. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  5. Graham, Frank (December 4, 2008). "Big Springs bank robbery recounted in new book". North Platte Bulletin. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  6. Kamie, Stephen (June 29, 2016). "Murderer Duane Earl Pope to find home in Nebraska penitentiary". starherald.com. BH Media Group, Inc. World-Herald News Service. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  7. Johnson, Riley (July 1, 2016). "Duane Earl Pope, responsible for bloody Big Springs bank robbery, returns to Nebraska". JournalStar.com. Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  8. "Images of Duane Earl Pope". Fbi.gov. pp. 360–61. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  9. "Pope". The Lincoln Star. 1968-07-07. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  10. "Pope v. United States, 434 F.2d 325 (1970)". cite.case.law. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  11. "Nebraska Inmate Details". dcs-inmatesearch.ne.gov. Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Retrieved December 22, 2016.