Alvin Karpis, The ‘Creepy’ Alcatraz Inmate
Public DomainAlvin Karpis’ 1958 Alcatraz mugshot.
Alvin “Creepy” Karpis was part of the notorious Barker-Karpis Gang alongside Fred and Doc Barker. He began his life of crime at the young age of 10, and he was sentenced to a decade behind bars for burglary in 1926 while he was still a teenager. He escaped from prison, but he was recaptured and sent to Kansas State Penitentiary, where he first met Fred Barker. The pair reunited when Karpis was released in 1931, and they formed one of the most fearsome gangs of the Depression Era.
Soon, the gang was being tailed by the FBI. Doc was arrested in January 1935, and Fred and his mother, Ma Barker, were killed in a shootout a week later, but agents didn’t catch up with Karpis until May 1936. He was sentenced to life in prison, and he spent the majority of that time at Alcatraz, from August 1936 to April 1962. His 26 years at the San Francisco penitentiary made him the longest-incarcerated Alcatraz prisoner in history.
Public DomainAlvin Karpis shows off how he burned off his fingerprints to avoid detection.
At Alcatraz, Karpis worked in the prison bakery. He fought with other inmates often, and he reportedly complained frequently about the conditions at the institution. Despite his history, Karpis never tried to escape from Alcatraz, and he was only transferred out because the prison was preparing to close its doors in 1963.
Karpis spent the remainder of his sentence at McNeil Island Penitentiary in Washington, where he met Charles Manson. He was then paroled in 1969, and he spent his final years in Spain until his death in 1979.
