Correctional Officer W. H. Aston

W. H. Aston

Correctional Officer W.H. Aston succumbed to head injuries received six days earlier when he was attacked by an inmate at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.

He observed the inmate extending a mirror from his solitary confinement cell and went to take it away. When he opened the cell door, the inmate attacked him and beat his head against the floor, cell door, and bars. The attack was stopped by other officers, and Officer Aston was taken to a local hospital. He initially refused treatment but was readmitted the following day when his condition worsened. He succumbed to his wounds on August 4, 1948.

The inmate, who was serving a 10-year sentence for auto theft, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on October 10, 1948. In 1974 the Oklahoma parole board recommended his release, and he was paroled a few months later. In 1983 he was returned to prison for second-degree burglary and returned again in 1987 for larceny. He was paroled for the third time on May 25, 1988.

He was a widower who was survived by his daughter, two sons, three brothers, three sisters, and two granddaughters.