Michael Lee Platt and William Russell Matix
Michael Lee Platt and William Russell Matix were two former military veterans-turned serial bank robbers who were involved in the deadliest shotoout in FBI history on April 11th, 1986, where two agents were killed and five were wounded.
Early Lives edit
William Russell Matix edit
William Russell Matix was born on June 25th, 1951 in Lewisburg, Ohio. Matix had a severe stuttering problem which wouldn't be corrected until his enlistment in the army later in life, and was called cruel names by his classmates such as "Wah wah Willy". However, he was active in his school's FFA Club and presented himself with a kind, quiet, and courteous demeanor.
Michael Lee Platt edit
Michael Lee Platt was born on February 3rd, 1954 in San Diego, California. His father was a naval Corpsman and had to frequently move as the job demanded, moving to Pearl Harbor, Alameda, and finally Yuma, Arizona, where he was an accomplished football, basketball, and baseball player in high school.
Military Service edit
William Russell Matix edit
After graduating high school, Matix enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1969 and served for three years, attaining the position of an E-5 Sergant while working in a bakery. Shortly after his discharge from the Marines, he worked at a manufacturing company before joining the US Army. Here, Matix underwent Airborne training and served in a Military Police unit with the 101st Airborne Division as a patrol supervisor until his discharge in 1976. He was viewed as a model soldier, with one of his commanding officers even going so far as noting in his evaluation report:
"If it was in my power then I would like to promote this man immediately. I would be surprised and sorely disappointed if this SM did not become a Command Sergeant Major. I would welcome an opportunity to serve with this soldier anytime". Here, he met Michael Platt. However, the details of their interactions are unknown.
Michael Lee Platt edit
Unlike Matix' military service which is well documented with the help of official documents provided by the military under the Freedom of Information Act, Platt's are unavailable. Erego, all is known is available in the summary of the FBI's official papers on Platt; Platt was in the US Army from 1972 to 1979, first serving as an infantryman but later becoming a platoon leader at the end of his career. Shortly after attending basic training, Platt applied for Airborne Ranger training and entered the program at Fort Campbell Kentucky, where upon completion of the course was assigned to a military police unit with Matix. Again, the details of their interactions are unknown.
At Fort Campbell, he met his first wife, Regina Lylen, and were married on October 31, 1975. Platt was then stationed in Camp Kittyhawk (now Camp Bonifas), South Korea.
Post Military Life edit
William Russell Matix edit
Matix met his first wife, Patricia Buckanich, while getting his aforementioned stuttering problem corrected at the Walter Reed Army Hospital. They married after his discharge and moved frequently across the mid-Atlantic including Takoma Park, Maryland, Hyde Park, New York, and finally Columbus, Ohio. Matix attended Meat Cutting School and Aviation Mechanics Training while Buckanich worked as a lab assistant at the Riverside Methodist Hospital.
In the afternoon of December 30th, 1983; an unknown assailant broke into the labratory and murdered Buckanich and a coworker with a knife, before stealing Buckanich's wedding ring and $20 in cash. Matix was a suspect in the case, but no proof could be brought against him. Shortly after, Matix collected a 350,000 dollar insurance policy on his wife and, at the urging of Platt moved to Miami, Florida, where he began active in the local church professing to be a "Born Again" Christian, meeting several women and entering short-lived relationships with them as a result. While in Miami, Matix bought a 1/4 stake in Blade Cutters, a landscaping business owned by Platt's brother, Tim. He worked there until 1985, where he was terminated due to personality differences, opening up a landscaping business with Platt, "Yankee Clipper", as a result.
Matix lived at 15615 Southwest 85th Avenue in Miami at the time of his death.
Michael Lee Platt edit
After Platt's army discharge, he and his wife moved to Monterey, California and had a son. Shortly in 1979, Platt moved to Miami, Regina's hometown, where he acquired employment with Regina's father (the details of the employment are unknown, as it is all retracted in the official FBI statements. A google search shows that the father of Regina was employed at a "D.U.I. COUNTERMEASURES OF DADE COUNTY" which was active between 1973 and 1994, but it's anyones guess) before quitting abruptly in 1982 and starting a landscaping business with his brother Tim known as "Blade Cutters". Once Matix quit working with Blade Cutters in 1985, he and Platt formed their own landscaping business, "Yankee Clipper".
Similar to Patricia, Regina was found dead under suspicious conditions on December 21, 1984, having shot herself in her bed. Like Matix, Platt was considered a suspect yet not enough evidence was found to convict him.
Life of Crime edit
It has been stated in one of the movies based on the two, as well as a few news reports that Platt and Matix have been robbing drug dealers for their money in the past, yet no mention of this is shown in the official FBI papers.
Vending Machine incident edit
Platt and Matix' first forray into crime began in early 1985 where a Nebraskan man named Earle "Tad" Burnett, who at the time operated a mail order Vending Machine business, sold ten vending machines to Platt and Matix for $10,000, who told Burnett that they were in with the "local boys" and other criminal elements, which was ignored. After the vending machines were shipped to Platt & Matix, they were shipped immediately back to Burnett in damaged condition, demanding their money back, which was ignored.
On June 1985 at 7:30 AM, Burnett was leaving home for work when he was accosted by Platt and Matix, who claimed they were armed and demanded their money back. They then told Burnett that the two have been watching Burnett for the past two days before confronting him. Platt was the aggressor while Matix tried to play the calm guy in a "good cop bad cop" routine. Burnett told the two that he would get the money for them once the banks opened later that day, but in the meantime they could get breakfast at Kuhl's Restaurant in Lincoln, Nebraska (a frequent spot for the police, unbeknownst to Platt and Matix).
While eating breakfast, Burnett spotted some policemen and ran to them, screaming that Platt and Matix were trying to kill him. The police took Matix and Platt outside and searched them and their rental car for weapons, but none were found and no charges were filed against the two. They then decided to find a lawyer to sue Burnett for defamation and slander, eventually going across the street to a nearby attorney's office, who said that Burnett's kidnapping claim was to get the two arrested and unable to collect the money from Burnett that was theirs. Despite this, the case never went to court.
Burnett was later charged with mail fraud a few years later.
Bank Robberies edit
Shortly after the Vending Machine incident, the duo commited the following Bank Robberies:
*Robbery A, October 9th, 1985 - Platt and Matix (with possibly a third was a getway driver, speculated to have been an employee of Yankee Clipper) robbed a Loomis Armored car at a Steak & Ale restaurant in the 9000 block of 97th Avenue, Miami. Platt and Matix took a bag with profits worth $2,800 from a guard shortly before forcing him to open the back of the truck up, which contained over $400,000. However, the driver took off before the back of the truck could be opened, leaving the three with only the contents of the bag. (It should be worth nothing that, unlike the other robberies on the list, they made their getaway in a dark grey car with tinted windows, license plate DMX-388).
*Robbery B, October 10th, 1985 - Platt and Matix (with possibly a third as a getaway driver, see above) pulled up to a Wells Fargo armored car parked in front of a Winn Dixie at 7930 SW 104th St. in Miami. Despite shooting the guard, they made out with nothing.
*Robbery C, October 17th, 1985 - Platt and Matix were involved in the robbery of a Loomis Armored car at 11641 Sw 88th St in Miami. As Platt and Matix ordered him to hand over the money in the back of the truck, the guard opened fire, prompting Platt and Matix to flee. He was the same armored guard as Robbery A.
*Robbery Da, November 8th, 1985 - Platt and Matix drove up to a teller station at the Florida National Bank of 14801 South Dixie Highway and approched a teller and a guard from behind, telling them to open the door to the teller station. When the door couldn't open the door, Platt and Matix stole the teller's bag, containing $10,000 and made their getaway. (Much like robbery A, they made their getaway in a vehicle not listed below, a black 1983 Chrysler New Yorker).
*Robbery Db, November 8th, 1985 - Platt and Matix entered the Professional Savings Bank at 13100 South Dixie Highway in Miami, wielding rifles and demanding the money that Wells Fargo recently dropped off, stealing $41,469 altogether.
*Robbery E, January 10th, 1986 - Platt and Matix shot a Brinks armored car guard as he was opening the door of his truck at the Barnett Bank of 13593 South Dixie Highway. They escaped with $54,000 and made their escape in a 1977 Monte Carlo (more below), before switching to Matix' white Ford pickup, as seen by a witness who followed them from the bank to the switch point.
*Robbery F, March 19th, 1986 - Platt and Matix entered the same Barnett Bank from Robbery C and made off with $8,338.
Killings for getaway cars edit
*October 4th, 1985- Platt and Matix shot and killed Emilio Briel as he was target shooting in an abandoned rock pit, stealing his gold colored 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to be used in robberies B, ,C, Db, and E.
*March 12th, 1986 - Platt and Matix shot Jose Collazo who was target shooting at the same rock pit as Briel was killed, stealing his black 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to be used in robbery D and the shootout. Miraculously, Collazo survived the shooting and lived to make a composite sketch of Platt and Matix.
Shootout edit
The duo were then involved in the deadliest shootout in FBI history, trying to evade eight FBI agents who
caught them driving Collazo's Monte Carlo in a stakeout and, after having them cornered in a driveway, proceeded to have a four minute gun battle with them where both Platt and Matix were killed, along with two other FBI agents and many others injured. Read more on the Wikipedia page here.