Alice Police Department, Texas
End of Watch: Sunday, December 1, 1974
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: 415
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 1, 1974
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Charged with murder in 2017
Patrolman Matthew Murphy was shot and killed after stopping a vehicle at West Main Street and U.S. Highway 281.
Another officer found Patrolman Murphy suffering from four .22 caliber gunshot wounds several minutes after he marked out on the traffic stop. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.
The case remained unsolved for 43 years until an inmate serving a life sentence in Alabama was charged with Patrolman Murphy's murder in October 2017.
Patrolman Murphy had served with the Alice Police Department for 11 years. He is survived by his wife and two children.