Warren County Sheriff's Office, Mississippi
End of Watch: Saturday, July 6, 1974
Age: 72
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: July 6, 1974
Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Knife
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Koerper was stabbed to death during an escape attempt at the Warren County Jail. The suspect stabbed him 26 times with a butcher knife. The suspect then freed his girlfriend, who was also a prisoner at the jail, and fled. A trusty ran out of the jail and flagged down a fireman who radioed for help. Both escapees were arrested 30 minutes later in a vacant building, five blocks from the jail, by a police sergeant.
In 1976, the male suspect, 24, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. In 1978 his sentence was commuted to life. As of 2014 he was still in prison.