Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Dick Walden was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a drunk driver he saw sideswipe another car at a drive-in. Not knowing that the driver and passengers had committed a murder the previous night he stopped to investigate. After speaking with the driver, Deputy Walden returned to his vehicle to radio for assistance at which time the driver pulled a .32 caliber handgun and shot Deputy Walden in the back. Deputy Walden was able to return fire hitting the man four times before succumbing to his injuries. The suspect, his wife, and another female accomplice were arrested. The previous night the suspect, 21, both women, and a 62-year-old railroad worker, were at a party in Thomasville. When the suspect, the women, and the man left in his car, they stopped at the Confederate Bridge in Thomas County, where the suspect beat the man to death with a blunt object and then propped the man up in the back seat of the car. He drove away with the dead man to Tallahassee, Florida. Returning to Georgia, he stopped near Valdosta and threw the body under the Withlacoochee River Bridge, the boundary between Lowndes and Brooks County. Later Deputy Walden saw the accident and was killed by the suspect. During the investigation by responding officers, they were informed about the man killed and where his body was dumped. The man was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death after three separate trials. After the Georgia Supreme Court overturned his conviction the third time he was tried a fourth time, convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on December 12th, 1956. In the murder trial of the railroad employee, the man was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to an additional 20 years. The man's 46-year-old wife was also convicted voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison. On December 17th, 1956, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that she was convicted with insufficient evidence and ordered her release.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-GA-52E5E121- Stewardship
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- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Walden gave the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Valdosta community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Walden.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Alfred C. Walden Jr. is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In GA, 549 of 905 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 60.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Alfred C. Walden Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Alfred C. Walden Jr. Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Alfred C. Walden Jr. is highlighted in Jun.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Alfred C. Walden Jr. was killed by handgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Lowndes County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
