North Carolina Highway Patrol, North Carolina
End of Watch Tuesday, May 14, 1985
Add to My HeroesRaymond Earl Worley
Trooper Raymond Worley was shot and killed after stopping a van. During the stop he placed the driver of the vehicle in his patrol car. A second van then pulled up at the scene and the driver of that van approached Trooper Worley. He then produced a handgun and shot Trooper Worley. The man turned out to be the brother of the person Trooper Worley had detained. The two were driving vans filled with stolen property from a grocery store they had broken into in Pender County.
The suspects fled the scene after shooting Trooper Worley. When state highway patrol dispatchers could not raise him by radio, a DMV officer from the I-95 weigh station was dispatched to respond for backup. The responding officer found him dead at the scene.
Four suspects were ultimately arrested after a manhunt involving over 500 state, local and federal officers from North Carolina and Virginia. Three were convicted of accessory to murder and possession of stolen property. The shooter was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death on December 5th, 1985. The death sentence was overturned by a U.S. Circuit court in February 2003. His sentence was commuted to life in prison on July 20th, 2006. He was denied parole in May 2014.
The other three suspects were sentenced to 9 to 10 years. One was released from prison on October 1st, 1990. The other two were released on Febuary 9th, 1992, and September 13th, 1993.
Trooper Worley had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for 23 years and was assigned to Troop A in Halifax County.
Bio
- Age 44
- Tour 23 years
- Badge A-147
Incident Details
- Cause Gunfire
- Weapon Handgun
- Offender Commuted to life
Most Recent Reflection
View all 48 ReflectionsRest in peace Trooper Worley. To lose your wife and son, how terrible! God has you and your loved ones cradled for that 'perfect reunion."
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
February 27, 2019
Recent LODD Deaths

Police Officer Jay Hughes
Kalispel Tribal Police Department, TR
EOW: January 6, 2021

Corporal Christine Peters
Greenbelt Police Department, MD
EOW: January 14, 2021

Conservation Officer Steven Reighard
Iowa Department of Natural Resources, IA
EOW: January 8, 2021

Police Officer Melton "Fox" Gore
Horry County Police Department, SC
EOW: January 12, 2021

Sergeant Frederick H. "Butch" Cameron
Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, VA
EOW: January 12, 2021

Officer Troy Allen Adkins
United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations, US
EOW: December 31, 2020

Unit Team Supervisor Gabe Morales
Kansas Department of Corrections, KS
EOW: December 22, 2020

Lieutenant William Lyle Gardner
Denver City Police Department, TX
EOW: January 7, 2021

Deputy Sheriff Jane Alice Ash
Effingham County Sheriff's Office, GA
EOW: December 16, 2020