Duane Earl Pope
Encyclopedia
Duane Earl Pope, born 1943, is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence for one of the bloodiest bank robberies in modern times, the 1965 robbery of the Farmers State Bank in Big Springs, Nebraska
.
Born in 1943, Pope grew up on a small, 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) farm outside of Roxbury, Kansas
, an unincorporated town in the northeast portion of McPherson County
. He was one of eight children. Shy, quiet, and athletic as a child, Pope grew up with a fascination for guns and tractors, neither of which is particularly unusual for a farm boy.
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 led him get a job teaching high school industrial arts. He excelled in football but was a mediocre student.
Pope got the idea to rob the Big Springs bank while working in wheat fields there one summer while he was in college. While in college, he bought several Caterpillar
tractor/bulldozers and was contemplating starting an excavation businesses but needed money for a trailer. 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. Late in the morning of June 4, 1965, after circling the bank and watching for the morning customers to clear out, Pope conversed with a banker pretending to be a landowner seeking a loan, and then pulled 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 Holthan, 35, died instantly. The fourth, Franklin Kjeldgaard, 25, survived his wounds but was paralyzed for life.
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, then 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. While holed up in San Diego, Pope discovered that authorities had deduced he was the killer. Pope next went to Las Vegas, Nevada
, where he gambled and enjoyed himself. Pope appeared on the FBI 10 Most Wanted List
for one day. 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.
Pope was tried in 1965 in U.S. District Court in Lincoln, Nebraska
in front of a jury and in 1970 in state court by a judge in Deuel County, Nebraska
. Both times, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. His federal sentence was upheld by the Eighth Circuit in 1967, with Judge Harry Blackmun
writing the court opinion. 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. As of 2011, Pope remains in federal prison in El Reno, Oklahoma
. If he is ever granted federal parole, he will begin serving three life sentences in Nebraska.
From 1978 to 1983, while incarcerated, Pope was married to a college girlfriend, Ramona Lowe.
Big Springs, Nebraska
Big Springs is a village in Deuel County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 418 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Big Springs is located at ....
.
Born in 1943, Pope grew up on a small, 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) farm outside of Roxbury, Kansas
Roxbury, Kansas
Roxbury is an unincorporated community about 14.8 miles east of Lindsborg in McPherson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 100 at the 1910 census. The original name for the area was Colfax City but the name was changed to Roxbury on March 4, 1875 due to an act of...
, an unincorporated town in the northeast portion of McPherson County
McPherson County, Kansas
McPherson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 29,180. The largest city and county seat is McPherson. The county is named for Civil War General James B. McPherson...
. He was one of eight children. Shy, quiet, and athletic as a child, Pope grew up with a fascination for guns and tractors, neither of which is particularly unusual for a farm boy.
He graduated in 1965 from McPherson College
McPherson College
McPherson College was chartered in 1887 by the leaders of the Church of the Brethren. The college provides a career-oriented liberal arts education...
in McPherson, Kansas
McPherson, Kansas
McPherson is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States, in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,155. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general...
with a degree in industrial education, although he lacked the teaching component of that degree that would led him get a job teaching high school industrial arts. He excelled in football but was a mediocre student.
Pope got the idea to rob the Big Springs bank while working in wheat fields there one summer while he was in college. While in college, he bought several Caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
tractor/bulldozers and was contemplating starting an excavation businesses but needed money for a trailer. 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
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
, rented a new car, and drove to Nebraska. Late in the morning of June 4, 1965, after circling the bank and watching for the morning customers to clear out, Pope conversed with a banker pretending to be a landowner seeking a loan, and then pulled a Ruger .38
.38
.38 refers to the type of firearm and firearm cartridges.The .38 is considered a large caliber firearm cartridge; Anything larger than .32 is considered a large caliber, and one of the most common handguns manufactured in the United States...
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 Holthan, 35, died instantly. The fourth, Franklin Kjeldgaard, 25, survived his wounds but was paralyzed for life.
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, then returned the car to Hertz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
in Salina. He then traveled by bus and plane to Tijuana, Mexico by way of Fort Worth and El Paso, Texas. While holed up in San Diego, Pope discovered that authorities had deduced he was the killer. Pope next went to Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, where he gambled and enjoyed himself. Pope appeared on the FBI 10 Most Wanted List
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1965
In 1965, the United States FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover, continued for a sixteenth year to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives....
for one day. Upon reading an appeal for him to surrender issued by the president of his college, Pope flew to Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, where he turned himself in. He gave a 19-page confession to Kansas City police and was extradited to Nebraska.
Pope was tried in 1965 in U.S. District Court in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
in front of a jury and in 1970 in state court by a judge in Deuel County, Nebraska
Deuel County, Nebraska
-History:Deuel County was formed in 1889. It was named after Harry Porter Deuel, an early pioneer in this area.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,098 people, 908 households, and 601 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were...
. Both times, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. His federal sentence was upheld by the Eighth Circuit in 1967, with Judge Harry Blackmun
Harry Blackmun
Harold Andrew Blackmun was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 until 1994. He is best known as the author of Roe v. Wade.- Early years and professional career :...
writing the court opinion. His sentence was commuted to life in prison by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972 as part of the Furman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia, was a United States Supreme Court decision that ruled on the requirement for a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty. The case led to a de facto moratorium on capital punishment throughout the United States, which came to an end when Gregg v. Georgia was...
package of cases that determined that the death penalty, as then practiced, was unconstitutional. As of 2011, Pope remains in federal prison in El Reno, Oklahoma
El Reno, Oklahoma
El Reno is a city in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States, in the central part of the state. A part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area, El Reno is west of downtown Oklahoma City...
. If he is ever granted federal parole, he will begin serving three life sentences in Nebraska.
From 1978 to 1983, while incarcerated, Pope was married to a college girlfriend, Ramona Lowe.
External links
- North Platte Bulletin, Dec. 4, 2008
- Duane Earl Pope v. United States of America, Feb. 13, 1967
- McPherson College Spectator
- FBI Image of Duane Earl Pope
