Machine Gun Kelly’s real name was George Kelly Barnes – he was born on July 18, 1895, in Memphis, Tennessee.
He earned his nickname from his favorite weapon – a Thompson submachine gun (“Tommy Gun”), which Kathryn reportedly encouraged him to pose with to build his gangster reputation.
Kathryn Thorne Kelly was born Cleo Lera Mae Brooks in 1904 in Oklahoma, later changing her name after multiple marriages and adopting the “Kathryn Thorne” persona.
Kathryn played a major role in shaping Kelly’s criminal image – she bought him the Tommy gun and spread stories to inflate his notoriety, ensuring he was feared in the underworld.
The couple’s most infamous crime was the 1933 kidnapping of oil tycoon Charles Urschel in Oklahoma City, for which they demanded and received a $200,000 ransom (equivalent to several million dollars today).
Urschel’s intelligence helped the FBI track them down – despite being blindfolded, he carefully noted details about his captivity (like airplane sounds, farm chores, and even the weather), which agents used to locate the hideout.
Machine Gun Kelly was captured without a fight – on September 26, 1933, FBI agents surprised him in Memphis, where he allegedly shouted “Don’t shoot, G-Men! Don’t shoot!” (helping popularize the term “G-Men” for federal agents).
Both Kelly and Kathryn were convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison under the newly strengthened Federal Kidnapping Act, also known as the Lindbergh Law.
Machine Gun Kelly spent much of his sentence at Alcatraz before being transferred to Leavenworth, where he lived out the rest of his life until his death from a heart attack in 1954.
Kathryn Thorne Kelly was released from prison in 1958 after serving nearly 25 years. She largely disappeared from public life afterward, dying quietly in 1985.
To learn all about the gangster duo read
Meet the Kellys: The Story of Machine Gun Kelly and his Moll Kathryn Thorne.
Join award-winning author Chris Enss at Las Vegas Books in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, August 23, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, as she signs copies of her riveting book, Meet the Kellys: The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly and His Moll Kathryn Thorne.
