'Bonnie and Clyde' couple: Facebook friends of survivor urged Brittany Harper to turn herse
By Erin Edgemon | eedgemon@al.com AL.com
Pensacola, FL /storypackage /#article_inset Article
Brittany Harper, one half of the duo dubbed a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, is in police custody and being held on $1.16 million bond.
Harper, of Joplin, Mo. is charged with robbery, two counts of kidnapping and false imprisonment, vehicle theft and home invasion robbery, jail records show.
Her partner, Blake Fitzgerald, was killed and she was wounded in an early Friday morning shootout in Milton, Fla. after a multi-state crime spree and massive manhunt.
Some reported that Fitzgerald and Harper planned to get married. Harper had only made their relationship Facebook official on Jan. 21.
But, when they were cornered by police on Friday, law enforcement say they refused to surrender and Fitzgerald used Harper as a shield from the barrage of police bullets. Harper suffered injuries to the leg and ankle and was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola for treatment.
The couple's alleged crime spree began in Joplin where they are suspected of breaking into several homes and stealing two cars. They are then suspected of abducting a Tuscaloosa motel clerk at gunpoint, telling him they were headed to Panama City to get married.The same day, Jan. 31, the couple allegedly tried to rob a Hoover McDonald's. Police say the couple then invaded a Vestavia Hills home and abducted a woman they released shortly after. The couple then moved to Georgia and Florida where they are accused in another abduction and robbery.
Carlen Baird-Baptista, a bail bondsman in Joplin, Mo., told the New York Times that Fitzgerald and Harper were clients, and they both struggled with a methamphetamine addiction. She said Fitzgerald had three children, including a newborn.
Harper's friend, Sasha Odell, pleaded with Harper on Facebook to return to Missouri, according to the report."Brittany, this is so not worth it," Odell wrote, adding, "Everyone is worried sick about you. We miss you. We are heartbroken and scared for you. We still and always will love you. We just want you to be safe. Please. The whole family is worried. Please. Just PLEASE. Come home. Turn yourself in. We all love you."
Another Facebook friend, Carlen Baird-Baptista, wrote this on Harper's page on Feb. 3: "This is so crazy. Get ahold of me... I will turn u guys in so that this doesn't end bad. I don't want u to die... but I am afraid u are headed in that direction. This isn't u... I have never seen u get this far. Let me help."
Carlen Baird-Baptista [Facebook Post]
on Friday
Ok... it is 6 and I have been up since 5:30 with random calls, text, and private messages about Brittany Harper and Blake Fitzgerald. What do I even say? Well, first I am saddened by their ignorance. Being the modern day Bonnie and Clyde is not cool... we all know how that story ended. Also I knew once the media started with that it was on. They probably loved being called that. Meth... I know we can't blame one's actions on drugs because they are ultimately responsible but the addiction to meth is real and it changes a person. I can't believe Blake is dead... RIP... and Brittany I hope she can recover do her time and get her life back together. I am so glad it is over however... praying for all the families involved on both sides and yes I am praying hard for Brittany her life will never be the same again.