Robberies - Blog Posts

Lester Brockelhurst and Bernice Felton: The Tourist Killers

Young love is often full of passion, lust, sex and scandal.

But how often does it contain tales of death, destruction, and murder?

WELL.

Here is the story of The Tourist Killers.

Lester Brockelhurst junior was the oldest son of parents Lester Brockelhurst Sr, and Edith Dupree. He was born Jan. 4, 1914 and was, by all accounts, a good boy. After high school, he even began working as a Sunday School Teacher for his own church.

Lester was a very talented public speaker at this time and would frequently compete in public speaking competitions. It was at one of these competitions that the young, talented, 20 year old, church boy would meet Bernice Felton.

This was a fatal attraction of epic proportions.

Bernice Felton was beautiful. 16 years old, with bright eyes and dark hair, She caught Brockelhurst's eye instantly. Information on Felton's background apart from her involvement with Brockelhurst is limited. As such we don't know her exact DOB or anything like that.

All that is known is that she was a competitor in the competition in Illinois and began a relationship with Brockelhurst almost immediately. The couple began meeting up every two weeks like clockwork.

Brockelhursts' first crime happened in 1935. He reportedly argued with his father about money, likely due to the overwhelming economic despair of The Great Depression.

This resulted in the young lad hitchhiking to Chicago and, likely out of desperation, robbing a candy store. Information about this crime, and Felton's involvement in it are very scarce, but we know that he was arrested and convicted of armed robbery.

The next documented crime involving Lester Brockelhurst and Bernice Felton wasn't a single event, and it's not even really clear why it began, but it was the start of a violent crime spree across multiple (believed to be 13) states in 1937. Four states for sure were: Arkansas, Texas, Wisconsin, And Illinois, where Brockelhurst was eventually executed)

While details about a specific "first crime" on this spree are unclear, we do know some general details:

* The spree began in February 1937.

* It involved a series of robberies and culminated in at least three murders.

* The couple targeted small towns and businesses across 15 states.

Lester Brockelhurst was dubbed the "Crime Tourist" by the press due to their constant movement.

FUN FACT: He was also known as the "Mad Dog" bank robber, due to his ferocity and complete disregard for human life in general. He was very aggressive during bank robberies and would kill anyone that stood in his way, without hesitation.

Bernice Felton was indeed involved in serious criminal activities alongside Lester Brockelhurst. She participated in their crime spree, which included bank robberies and murders.

According to historical accounts, Felton and Brockelhurst together committed a series of violent crimes. Felton actively participated in the bank robberies and was implicated in the murders that occurred during their crime spree.

While Brockelhurst was often the primary perpetrator, Felton was his accomplice and was involved in the violent actions taken during their criminal activities.

Due to the times, though, it was kind of thought that women were "too weak" to be involved in anything so violent and animalistic and as such, Felton was acquitted of any wrong doing.

This is despite the fact that Brockelhurst's last words, when asked about Bernice Felton's involvement were;

" I don't want her to get the chair, but she's as guilty as I am."

So what about the victims?

Frustratingly, Specific names of individual victims of Lester Brockelhurst and Bernice Felton's crimes may not be readily available in general historical records or public sources. Typically, victims of such crimes, especially those from the early 20th century, were often reported collectively (e.g., "bank employees" or "law enforcement officers"). Individual names of victims might not have been widely publicized or preserved in historical accounts. The info we do have varies and honestly we will never know truly.

As such, we know that their victims were primarily bank employees, law enforcement officers, and innocent bystanders that were unfortunately in the wrong place during the wrong time.

Lester Brockelhurst and Bernice Felton were arrested on July 28, 1934, in Texas after a shootout with law enforcement officers. They had been on the run for several months. Their arrest marked the end of their crime spree and led to subsequent legal proceedings. Brockelhurst was, of course, convicted and executed, while Ms. Felton was acquitted and set free. Lester Brockelhurst was only 24 years old. Bernice Felton was at the time, 18 years Old.