Patrolman Edward Samuel Virden

Edward Samuel Virden

Patrolman Virden was shot and killed inside the old city jail by a suspect who was able to obtain a gun. The suspect had killed an automobile salesman in London, Kentucky the day before. A few days later the suspect was seriously wounded in a gun battle with a police officer in Kingsville, Texas, after the officer had stopped him for speeding.

The teenage suspect was convicted of Patrolman Virden's murder and sentenced to life in the Arkansas State Prison. In 1968 he was granted a temporary furlough, but failed to return and was charged with escape. He was recaptured in Kentucky June 27, 1974. As of 2021 he was in prison; Arkansas' longest serving inmate.

Patrolman Virden was survived by his wife and three children.