Mississippi Department of Public Safety - Mississippi Highway Patrol, Mississippi
End of Watch: Wednesday, August 19, 1959
Age: 42
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: 86
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 19, 1959
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Released in 1973
Trooper Hurfu Duckworth was shot and killed after responding to a complaint at Marco Courts motel on Highway 11 South, near McInnis Loop, just inside the Hattiesburg city limits at 7:50 pm.
The subject of the complaint was a campaign worker and had an argument with another worker after becoming drunk. The man displayed a firearm during the argument prompting the other worker to call the campaign headquarters. The campaign headquarters, in turn, requested that Trooper Duckworth respond to the scene because the subject was a distant cousin of his.
Upon arriving at the motel cabin the subject demanded Trooper Duckworth remove his gunbelt and gun. When Trooper Duckworth refused the man shot him in the back. Trooper Duckworth's partner drove him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The man was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on November 23rd, 1959. One year later the verdict was overturned for insanity reasons and he was committed to a state mental hospital. In 1973 he was declared sane and ordered to stand trial for murder a second time. On May 24th, 1973, his trial resulted in a hung jury. A mistrial was declared and he was released.
Trooper Duckworth was a U.S. Air Force veteran of WWII. He had served with the Mississippi Highway Patrol for 12 years and was assigned to Troop J. He was survived by his wife, mother, and three sisters.