A notorious Chicago
gangster








Born on December 6, 1908 in Chicago, Illinois
Real name is Lester Joseph Gillis
Was the seventh child of Joseph and Mary
Gillis(immigrants from Belgium)
Married Helen Wawzynak and had two children
Ronald and Darlene
Worked at the Standard Oil Company
Nicknamed “Baby Face” due to his young appearance
Rarely attended school- Nelson dropped out after the
8th grade
Has always been in trouble with the law since age 13







Committed petty crimes during teenage years- stole
tires, money, and cars
By 14 , Nelson was an accomplished car thief. He was
sent to a boys home for two years after his conviction.
During his parole, he committed a similar crime.
Went to prison for one year for robbing a bank(robbed
several other banks throughout the years)
Escaped prison guards and fled to California
Befriended John Paul Chase- worked with him to
illegally transport liquor
Joined the Dillinger Gang
Murdered several people- Nelson killed more
FBI/special agents in the line of duty than any other
person


Baby Face Nelson’s most recent crime led him
to the ultimate sentence- the loss of his life
Had a shootout with three FBI agents on
November 27, 1934. This event is also known as
The Battle of Barrington
-Police recognized Nelson because he was driving
a stolen V8 Ford south towards Chicago on State
Highway 14
-Bullets were found on the street-Nelson started a
car chase and began to open fire on police
-There were seven bullets that struck Special
Agent Samuel P. Cowley’s torso
-The shootout was witnessed by about 30 people
including Nelson’s wife

“I’m done for”- These were the last words
Nelson said to his wife after being shot several
times
The Differential Association Theory best describes Baby Face
Nelson’s criminal behavior. Even though Nelson has always
committed crimes, I believe it was the influence of others that made
him so deviant. Nelson was a member of several gangs during the
Roaring 20s. He learned his techniques from some infamous criminals
including, John Dillinger, John Paul Chase, and even Al Capone. If it
were not for these figures, I do not think Nelson would’ve committed
very serious crimes, for example, murder.
Also, I believe Nelson learned his behavior from spending so
much time in prison. As a young teenager, prison was a learning
center for him because he spent so much time there and was very
vulnerable. His criminal acts were always supported by his wife too.
Even when Baby Face Nelson was the most wanted criminal, instead
of keeping on the down low, he kept robbing banks and stealing cars.
His crimes were frequent and intense throughout his whole life. As
you can see, Baby Face Nelson’s behavior falls under the Differential
Association Theory. His behavior was determined by the people that
he worked for and surrounded himself with.

If Baby Face Nelson were still alive today, he
should be punished. He should be kept away
from society because he is dangerous. He
murdered several people and FBI agents. For
this reason, I do not believe it would be
appropriate to rehabilitate him into a law
abiding citizen. From a very young age, Nelson
engaged himself in juvenile crimes. I think it
would be too late now to change his behavior.
Justice would need to be served for him for
once and for all.