Charles “Pretty boy” Floyd “I won’t tell you anything, you son-of-a-bitch.”  - Last words of Charles Floyd Charles “Pretty boy” Floyd

Background He was born in Bartow County, Georgia in 1904 At the age of seven his family moved to Oklahoma The family owned a farm and they were very poor He grew up during the Great Depression and was driven to crime by the lack of job oppurtunities He was first arrested at age 18 after he stole $3.50 in coins from a local post office Three years later he was arrested for a payroll robbery on September 16, 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri and was sentenced to five years in prison. He served three and a half years before gaining parole When on parole he connected with well known criminals and started commiting bank robbers He got his nickname from a bank teller who described him as a pretty boy with apple cheeks

Crimes Accused on committing Date Victim(s) Punishment Stole $3.05 from a Post Office 1922 None Arrested but given a warning Arrested for a payroll robbery September 16, 1925 Sentenced to five years but served three and a half before gaining parole “Kansas City Massacre” which resulted in four deaths to police officers June 17, 1933 Detective William Grooms, Patrol Grant Schroder, Police Chief Otto Reed, FBI Special Agent Ray Caffery Execution on October 22, 1934 after being named Public Enemy No. 1

Most recent crime (june 17, 1933) Involved in a gunfight that killed four officers and was sentenced to life in prison After the gunfight he was on the run for months until they finally caught him

Evidence against Charles Factors weighing against them included their apparent presence in Kansas City at the time, eyewitness testimony. Richetti's, who was kind of like Charles’ sidekick and was always with him, fingerprint said to have been recovered from a beer bottle at Miller's hideout. An underworld account naming Floyd and Richetti as the gunmen Fellow bank robber Alvin Karpis, an acquaintance of Floyd's, claimed that Floyd confessed involvement to him No other evidence against him, at this point the police had nothing solid against him and could not charge him.

Sentence He was sentenced to life in prison after one of his many bank robberies but managed to escape. While on the run he was part of the Kansas City Massacre and was hunted by police On October 22, 1934, Floyd was shot in a corn field behind a house on Sprucevale Road between Beaver Creek State Park and East Liverpool, Ohio

Theory that explains his deviant behavior It is the Anomie Theory because Charles Floyd chose to rebel against society. He was a Great Depression Era gangster that would rob banks in order to make a living which would be innovation. He accepted the fact that he had to make a way to live and the only way he saw was to rob banks which is an unacceptable way. It is also the rebellious part of the Anomie Theory because he was striking out against the bad part of society and sought to change its goals. During his numerous bank robberies he would stop by the mortgage files and destroy as many as he could. This in turn freed many people of their mortgage on the homes. It is for this reason that it is also rebellion.

Cultural references "The Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd“ by Woodie Guthry – song "Avenging Annie“ by Andy Pratt – song Pretty Boy Floyd (American Band) a glam metal band Pretty Boy Floyd (Canadian Band) a hard rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada In John Steinbeck’s1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath, the character Ma Joad refers several times to Pretty Boy Floyd as a young man driven to a tragic fate by the Great Depression. Undefeated retired professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s boxing alias was 'Pretty Boy Floyd' as his first name being Floyd