Village Marshal Murray Wilson Griffin, aged 65, was shot and killed with his own weapon on July 5, 1986, in Belle Center, Ohio. Marshal Griffin, a World War II veteran, had served with the Belle Center Village Police Department for 25 years. He responded to a domestic disturbance call at 211 Main Street, where he was found shot to death, and the female complainant was also found stabbed to death.
Approximately four years after the incident, a suspect was arrested, but all charges were
eventually dropped, and no new charges were ever filed. The case remains unsolved to this day. Marshal Griffin is buried in Fair View Cemetery in Belle Center, Ohio.
Despite the passage of time, the case has not been reopened, although there have been calls from the community to do so, citing advancements in technology such as DNA analysis that could potentially bring closure to the case. Marshal Griffin's sacrifice is honored by the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation, and he is remembered by his family, friends, and fellow officers.
