In the winter of 1979, a dedicated Kentucky State Trooper named Clinton Eugene Cunningham was on duty, serving the community as he had for three years. On February 11, the 29-year-old male officer, who had also previously served with the Lexington and Richmond Police Departments, responded to what he believed was a routine call. He was dispatched to investigate a reported break-in at a store located on US 127, just north of Frankfort in Franklin County.
The report, however, was a
deception. It was a lure that led Trooper Cunningham into a deadly ambush. Unaware of the true nature of the call, he arrived at the scene and was shot in the back. The ambush was a fatal one, and the young trooper's life was cut short in a sudden act of violence. His service with the Kentucky State Police, where he was assigned to Post 12 in Frankfort, came to an abrupt and tragic end.
The investigation into the murder was swift. Authorities quickly identified a suspect, a 20-year-old man, who was apprehended at his home shortly after the shooting. The perpetrator was prosecuted for the calculated killing of the trooper. Following the legal proceedings, the suspect was convicted for the murder of Trooper Cunningham and was subsequently sentenced to serve 99 years in prison for his crime.
