California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California
End of Watch: Saturday, June 8, 1985
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: June 8, 1985
Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Shank
Suspect Info: Sentenced to death
Sergeant Howell Burchfield was stabbed to death when he was attacked by an inmate at the San Quentin State Prison's Carson Unit.
He was stabbed in the heart, causing him to bleed to death. All three inmates involved in the attack were convicted of his murder. The inmate who stabbed him and the inmate who ordered the stabbing were sentenced to life with no possibility of parole. The inmate who made and provided the shank was sentenced to death.
Sergeant Burchfield had been employed with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and five children.