Deputy Sheriff Wiley Pierce

Wiley Pierce

Deputy Wiley Pierce and Deputy Robert Crain were shot and killed while attempting to arrest two men for making moonshine.

One of the men produced a handgun and opened fire, killing both deputies. The suspects attempted to hide Deputy Crain's body under the carcass of a dead cow and they buried Deputy Pierce's body in a swamp.

Both men were convicted of the murders and sentenced to death on March 23, 1923. One of the men was hanged on August 31, 1923. The other's sentence was commuted to life. On December 20, 1926, he was stabbed to death by a fellow inmate.

Deputy Pierce was survived by his wife and six children. Deputy Pierce is buried in Morris Cemetery, Washington Parrish, Louisiana.