Monica Proietti: Machine Gun Molly

Monica Proietti was the mother of two children and old twenty seven years old when she died. This young mother was killed in a gun battle with the law.

I know that sounds like a story from the Wild West but this took place  in Montreal in 1967.

Monica was known as Machine Gun Molly  and was a known criminal – with a curious background. She’d been married when she was only seventeen, probably hoping to escape from he impoverished family life. She was one of eight children and most of her family were involved in crime – even her grandmother had been in jail.

One of her covers when she was out on her crime sprees was to have her two young children with her. She thought no-one would suspect a woman with two kids would be up to anything illegal.

By September, 1967, it was estimated that Molly and her gang had got away with money from over twenty bank raids and it’s said that she intended her final robbery to be her last because she had plans to retire from crime and move to Florida.

Instead, her last robbery was fatal

He particular specialism was driving the getaway car but this proved to be her downfall. On September 19th three of her gang entered a credit union in Montreal. Monica was waiting in the car outside, ready to help them escape from the scene once they had relieved the premises of their funds.

As they fled into the car, a police constable, Andre Godin, saw what was happening and opened fire. Four police cars were in the area and gave chase.

The gang got away with Monica driving t over a hundred miles an hour and sideswiping vehicles as she did so, often climbing the car onto the sidewalks, scattering pedestrians. They spotted a man getting into another car, slugged him over the head and made away with his vehicle but the police picked up their trail. Shots were fired from rifles and machine guns.

Then the car swerved violently and hit abus. The men inside escaped but when the police rushed to the wrecked vehicle they found that Monica – Machine Gun Molly – was dead. Initially, they didn’t know whether it was the crash or the gunfire that had killed her. She was wearing dungarees and a raincoat and on the seat beside her was $3,500 of the looted cash, a sawn-off shotgun and two pistols.

Then the car swerved violently and hit a bus. The men inside escaped but when the police rushed to the wrecked vehicle they found that Monica – Machine Gun Molly – was dead. Initially, they didn’t know whether it was the crash or the gunfire that had killed her. She was wearing dungarees and a raincoat. They soon determined that it was a shot she had received in the chest that had caused the demise of Machine Gun Molly.

On the seat beside her was $3,500 of the looted cash, plus a sawn-off shotgun and two pistols

IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jackie Jackson, also known online as BritFlorida, is a highly experienced designer and writer. British born and now living in the USA, she specialises in lifestyle issues, design and quirky stories. You can see a wide range of articles here, or visit her website Tastes Magazine. See The Writer’s Door for more information.