Deputy Sheriff Thomas Asbury 'Berry' Quillin, aged 48, was fatally shot on August 31, 1932, while standing in a drug store in Fouke, Arkansas. His brother, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, was believed to be the target of moonshiners who suspected Deputy Quillin of providing information about illegal stills in the Fouke area.
A suspect was apprehended and charged with murder; however, the trial ended with a hung jury.
A year earlier, the same individual had faced another murder charge, which also resulted in a hung jury. In 1937, he was charged with murder again after shooting and killing a man at a nightclub in Miller County, but the charge was dismissed when witnesses failed to appear in court.
Deputy Quillin was survived by his wife and two children. His death was a significant loss to the Miller County Sheriff's Office, where he had served with dedication.
