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Trooper

Billy M. Langham

Mississippi Department of Public Safety - Mississippi Highway Patrol — Jackson, MS

Felonious

End of Watch December 31, 1981

Age 37

Tour of Duty 8 yrs

Badge J-52

The Vigil Panel 275 · Column 4 · Line 8 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 27

Incident

Trooper Billy Langham was shot and killed after stopping a speeding motorist on Highway 49 near Collins, Mississippi. The vehicle was occupied by four male subjects. Trooper Langham noticed a butcher knife on the front seat and removed the front seat occupant of the vehicle to be searched. He also removed the knife and placed it on the top of his patrol car. As he was bent over searching the car, the subject grabbed the knife from the top of the cruiser and began stabbing Trooper Langham in the back. He attempted to draw his weapon but was overpowered by the subjects and was fatally shot with it. The suspects fled but were followed by witnesses. The suspects, 30, 37, and two, 27, were apprehended an hour later when they attempted to run a roadblock on U.S. 49 south of Collins. Two suspects, 27 and 30, were sentenced to life. The other 27-year-old was sentenced to 25 years. The killer, 37, was sentenced to death. He was granted a new trial and sentenced to life on October 26, 1992. He died in prison in 2009. As of December 4, 2022, the 30-year-old was in prison. He was denied parole in 2024. Another was released in 1989. The fourth died in prison on March 7, 2018. Trooper Langham had served with the Mississippi Highway Patrol for eight years. He was survived by his wife and two children. A section of U.S. Highway 49 in Collins was dedicated to Trooper Langham's memory.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Langham gave the Mississippi Department of Public Safety 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Mississippi. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Langham.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Mississippi Department of Public Safety - Mississippi Highway Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Jackson, Hinds County, MS

Platform Identity mdpsmhp.ms.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 31, 1981

Tour of Duty 8 yrs

Age 37

Badge Number J-52

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Billy is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1981, 126 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 39th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Billy was 37. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Billy had served 8 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

December holds 9.4% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Thursdays: 14%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was officer's handgun, in 5.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded