Walker County Sheriff's Office, Alabama
End of Watch: Tuesday, June 29, 1948
Age: 73
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: June 28, 1948
Weapon Used: Blunt object
Suspect Info: Released in 1956.
Jailer Burkett was hit on the head and mortally wounded by two men making their escape from the Walker County Jail. He died the next day. Both suspects were recaptured and charged with Jailer Burkett's murder two days later.
One suspect, 24, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. The other suspect, 21, was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. On August 7, 1950, he escaped from Atmore prison. He was recaptured in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 29, 1951. On September 14, 1951, he escaped from Draper prison. On October 17, 1951, he was captured in Cleveland, Ohio. Two months later he escaped again for the third time. He was captured by FBI agents in Chicago on August 16, 1952. A month later he made his fourth escape as he was being taken back to Alabama. He bolted from his guards and jumped from the train in Birmingham. He was added to the FBI"s 10 most wanted list. On March 3, 1953, he was again captured by FBI agents in Chicago. This time he received a three year federal term for fleeing to avoid confinement and was sent to the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. He was released in 1956. On April 28, 1959, he was arrested in Jasper for speeding and carrying a concealed pistol. Alabama officials discovered that he should have been been sent back to prison in Alabama when he was released in 1956. Atlanta officials said they had no instructions from Alabama to hold him. For three years he went undetected as he sold gasoline at a little garage near Jasper. He did not go back to prison and died in 1983.