In the late hours of October 15, 1984, a sense of unease settled over the quiet community of Windamere, Arkansas. Corporal Robert 'Robbie' Whittington Klein, a 39-year-old male serving with the Arkansas State Police, was on duty, unaware that his life was about to be tragically cut short. A dedicated officer with 12 years of service, Klein was a husband and a father to three sons. The events that unfolded that night would leave a lasting scar on his family and the community he served.
Earlier, two inmates, Steven Douglas Hill and another convict, Michael Cox, had escaped from the Wrightsville Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction. Their escape set in motion a chain of events that would culminate in violence. The escapees broke into a home, where they tied up the elderly occupants and stole several items, including firearms. They then moved to a neighboring house. A report of a stolen truck, taken by the convicts, drew Corporal Klein and another trooper to the scene to investigate.
As Corporal Klein was inspecting the reported stolen truck, a single shot rang out in the darkness, and he fell to the ground, fatally wounded. The other trooper returned fire as the two escaped convicts sought refuge in a nearby greenhouse and the attic of a home. The standoff lasted for hours until they finally surrendered around 5 a.m. The weapon used to kill Corporal Klein was a 12-gauge shotgun.
The subsequent legal proceedings brought a measure of justice for the slain officer. Steven Douglas Hill was convicted of Corporal Klein's murder and sentenced to death. He was executed on May 7, 1992. His accomplice, Michael Cox, was sentenced to 86 years in prison for his role in the events of that tragic night.
