In a tragic event that unfolded in a motel court at 2133 East Monroe Street in Phoenix, Arizona, a young girl's life was cut short. On or about May 28, 1955, 2-year-old Pamela Bartholomew was shot and killed while she was lying on a bed. The person responsible for this act was her own father, Lester Edward Bartholomew.
On that fateful day, Lester used a 22-caliber semi-automatic rifle to also end the lives of his wife, Marie Bartholomew, and their 3-year-old son, Rickie.
Another child was present but was spared when their mother, Marie, intervened in some way to prevent her husband from shooting them. The motive for the killings was described as a wanton disregard for human life, with investigations revealing some premeditation in the days leading up to the shootings.
Following the murders, Lester Edward Bartholomew was arrested. On June 7, 1955, an Information was filed in the Superior Court of Maricopa County, charging him with three counts of first-degree murder. He subsequently pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of both Pamela and Rickie, and to second-degree murder for the death of his wife, Marie. After a psychiatric evaluation determined he was legally sane, Lester Edward Bartholomew was sentenced to death for the murders of his children on June 22, 1955. The sentence was carried out, and he was executed by asphyxiation-gas in Arizona on August 31, 1955.
