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Deputy Sheriff Burton Lee Brewer | Okmulgee County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma
Okmulgee County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma

Deputy Sheriff

Burton Lee Brewer

Okmulgee County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma

End of Watch: Thursday, July 25, 1974

Biographical Info

Age: 52
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 25, 1974
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life

Deputy Burton Brewer was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man who had just killed Marshal Thomas Adkins, of the Dewar Police Department, and Auxiliary Officer Walter Hembree, of the Henryetta Police Department. The suspect was then shot and wounded by the chief of the Morris Police Department.

The 20-year-old suspect was convicted of two counts of capital murder and sentenced to death. His sentence was later overturned and he was then sentenced to life in prison. He was denied a parole in June of 2016. As of October 22, 2022, he was in prison,

Deputy Brewer retired from the Okmulgee Fire Department after 21 years of service. He then became a private detective in Tulsa for a time before joining the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Department where he had served with the agency for 1 year. He was survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.