In the winter of 1932, the life of Constable Robert Bunyan Sheppard, a 29-year-old male lawman in Stuart, Virginia, was cut tragically short. On December 11th, he was involved in an attempt to stop a stolen vehicle alongside the town sergeant. The car in question had been confiscated as part of a prohibition investigation and subsequently stolen from the county garage the night before the fatal encounter.
During the attempt to apprehend the occupants of the stolen car, Constable Sheppard
was shot as he moved to make an arrest. In the ensuing violence, the town sergeant was also shot in the chest and sustained serious wounds while trying to aid his fallen colleague. Constable Sheppard succumbed to his injuries, his death leaving a void in the local law enforcement community.
The investigation that followed led to the arrest of five men in connection with the murder of Constable Sheppard and the shooting of the town sergeant. The man identified as the shooter, who was 25 years old at the time, was convicted of murder and received a life sentence in prison. Another of the accused was also found guilty of murder and sentenced to 40 years.
Two brothers were also held accountable for their roles in the shooting and the theft of the vehicle, receiving sentences of 30 and 35 years respectively. A fifth suspect was convicted as an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to two and a half years. Further justice was served on February 14, 1933, when the individual sentenced to 30 years was also convicted for the attempted murder of the town sergeant, adding another 13 years to his prison term.
