On a tragic afternoon in Morgan County, Alabama, Conservation Officer Loyd C. Hays, a 41-year-old male, met a violent end. On May 1, 1964, while on duty near Flint Creek, Officer Hays came upon a man and a woman. The woman urgently sought his help, accusing the man of having just assaulted her. As she took refuge behind the officer, the man, identified as 18-year-old Billy Don Franklin Boulden, produced a handgun and opened fire.
Despite being wounded, Officer Hays bravely fought back,
engaging in a physical struggle with his assailant. However, weakened by blood loss from two gunshot wounds, he was unable to overcome Boulden, who then proceeded to stab him ten times with a knife. Responding law enforcement officers arrived at the scene to a grim discovery. They encountered Boulden attempting to flee in his vehicle and promptly arrested him. During the arrest, Boulden was found in possession of Officer Hays' driver's license. A search of the nearby woods led to the discovery of Officer Hays' body.
Billy Don Franklin Boulden was charged with the first-degree murder of Loyd C. Hays. Following a trial, he was convicted and received a sentence of death. However, in a turn of legal events, his sentence was later reduced to life in prison after the Supreme Court's 1972 decision on the constitutionality of the death penalty. After serving a portion of his sentence, Boulden was paroled in 1979. Officer Hays, a 17-year veteran of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, was survived by his wife and five children.
