Deputy Sheriff Enos Murphy

Enos Murphy

Deputy Murphy was shot and killed while going to the assistance of another deputy and the Madisonville police chief, who were involved in a shootout with two suspects. Deputy Murphy was struck once in the abdomen and suffered a fatal wound. He was taken to the local hospital where he died three days later.

One suspect was apprehended, convicted of murder, and sentenced to death. He was granted a new trial and was again sentenced to death in 1927. In 1929 his sentence was commuted to life. He always maintained his accomplice was the killer. He was paroled on December 21, 1937. The other suspect escaped and was never apprehended. Governor Flem D. Sampson said when he commuted his sentence to life that he had serious doubts as to who Deputy Murphy's killer was and believed the suspect who was never apprehended was his killer.

Deputy Murphy had served with the agency for 3 years. He was survived by his wife, two children, two brothers, and six sisters.