California Highway Patrol, California
End of Watch: Friday, December 22, 1978
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 21 years
Badge Number: 2455
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 22, 1978
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Died in prison
Officer Roy Blecher and Officer William Freeman were shot and killed while patrolling together on I-80 in West Sacramento.
Their bodies were found after they made a traffic stop at approximately 0300 hours. Investigators found a sign of a struggle. Officer Blecher was found with his hands handcuffed behind his back and shot once in the head.
The suspect was eventually apprehended and sentenced to life. He died in prison on April 16th, 2016.
Officer Blecher was a United States Marine Corps and California Army National Guard veteran. He had served with the California Highway Patrol for 21 years. He is survived by his wife and a son.
In 1994, an elevated portion of Interstate 80, known as the Yolo Causeway, was designated the Blecher-Freeman Memorial Causeway, in honor of the fallen officers.