Delaware State Police, Delaware
End of Watch: Thursday, October 17, 1963
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 4 years, 6 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 17, 1963
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Paroled in 1982
Trooper Robert Paris was shot and killed while on a special burglary detail checking local motels. He and his partner encountered two men stealing televisions from rooms of a hotel at 3:40 am. When they approached the men a shootout ensued and Trooper Paris was fatally wounded by a shotgun blast.
The two suspects and their getaway driver were apprehended following a large manhunt. The shooter, 30, was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life. The the other two suspects, 26 and 29, were convicted of complicity in second degree murder and sentenced to 16 and 18 years in prison. One was paroled in January of 1969. The other subject, paroled on July 1, 1969, and living in Florida since his release, was jailed in Miami on June 22, 1978, for failure to report to his parole officer and several other parole violations. Delaware officials decided not to extradite him back and he was released from jail two months later. The killer was denied parole on November 18, 1976, In July of 1977 he was one of 130 inmates who were furloughed to Wilmington work release center due to prison overcrowding. On November 16, 1978, he was transferred to the Alabama State Penitentiary where he was paroled on November 16, 1982. He died from cancer in 1992.
Trooper Paris had served with the agency for 4.5 years. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.