In the early morning hours of May 24, 1978, a routine traffic stop on the Kansas Turnpike near Matfield Green took a tragic turn, ending the life of 26-year-old, White / Caucasian, male, Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Conroy G. O'Brien. At approximately 5 a.m., O'Brien pulled over a vehicle for speeding. Inside the car were three men: Jimmie K. Nelms, Walter Myrick, and Stanford Swain, who were later found to be wanted in connection with a series of armed robberies. What began as a simple citation escalated into a violent confrontation.
As Trooper O'Brien was writing the ticket in his patrol car, the men from the stopped vehicle approached him. They overpowered the young trooper, took his service weapon, and forced him into a nearby ditch. There, he was brutally pistol-whipped, fracturing his skull, before being shot twice in the head at close range. An hour later, a passing truck driver discovered O'Brien's patrol car with its lights still flashing and found the trooper's body in the ditch.
The three suspects fled the scene, but their escape was short-lived. Later that morning, another trooper spotted their speeding vehicle and a pursuit ensued. The chase ended when the suspects' car crashed, leading to a gun battle with law enforcement. A massive manhunt was launched, and by that evening, all three men had been apprehended.
Jimmie K. Nelms and Walter Myrick were subsequently tried and convicted of premeditated murder, felony murder, and aggravated kidnapping, receiving two life sentences. The third man, Stanford Swain, pleaded guilty to lesser charges and provided crucial testimony against his co-defendants; he was released from prison in 1983. Walter Myrick died in prison in 2009. Jimmie K. Nelms remained incarcerated for decades, with a controversial parole decision in 2025 being quickly rescinded after public outcry. At the time of his death, Trooper O'Brien was survived by his wife, who was pregnant with their daughter.
