In the summer of 1977, the quiet community of Magazine, Arkansas, was shaken by the tragic death of a dedicated public servant. Marshal Marvin Eugene Richie, a 49-year-old male, lost his life on Wednesday, June 29, 1977, in a harrowing encounter with two escaped convicts. His death was the beginning of a violent crime spree that would cross state lines and end in the capture and execution of his killers.
The series of events began when Paul Ruiz and Earl Van Denton, having tunneled their
way out of an Oklahoma prison, found themselves with a flat tire near Magazine. Marshal Richie, ever the helpful officer, drove out to assist the men after being notified by local citizens of their predicament. Unaware of the danger, he was overpowered by the two fugitives, handcuffed, and forced into the trunk of his own patrol car.
The convicts then drove the patrol car to the Ashley Creek Park campground. There, they were approached by two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park rangers who, seeing the official vehicle, stopped to investigate. The escapees ambushed the rangers, holding them at gunpoint. One of the rangers was forced into the trunk with Marshal Richie. Before closing the trunk, one of the fugitives shot Marshal Richie in the head, killing him instantly, and shot the ranger in the chest. The second ranger was then abducted and later murdered. The wounded ranger in the trunk survived his injuries.
Following a massive manhunt, Ruiz and Van Denton were apprehended the following month in Portland, Oregon, by the FBI. They were extradited to Arkansas, where they stood trial for the murders of Marshal Richie and the park ranger. Both men were convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. After years of appeals, Paul Ruiz and Earl Van Denton were executed on January 8, 1997.
