Burch D. Slote

Kansas Department of Corrections — Topeka, KS

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch July 6, 1980

Age 52

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

The Vigil Panel 123 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 11

Incident

Officer Slote was stabbed to death by two inmates whom he was going to write up. He had caught the inmates stealing sugar the previous day and on the day he was killed he caught them making hamburgers. After throwing away the food he began to write them up when he was attacked, beaten, and stabbed 23 times. His killer, 24, serving a 5 year to life sentence for a 1979 kidnapping and robbery conviction, was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in 1981. He was paroled on January 15, 2022. The other inmate, 21, serving a life sentence for a 1977 murder conviction, was charged with aiding and abetting in a murder. He died in prison on September 30, 2004.

Survivors

Officer Slote had been with the agency for two years and was survived by his wife and three daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-KS-0ECC7020
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.
Corrections Employee Slote gave the Kansas Department of Corrections 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Kansas. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corrections Employee Slote.

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

Agency

Department Kansas Department of Corrections

Type Corrections

Location Topeka, KS

Platform Identity kanscorr.shawnee.ks.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 6, 1980

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Age 52

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Edged weapon

Military Service

Burch D. Slote served in the the United States military (1945â1948) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Corrections Employee Burch D. Slote 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 KS, 237 of 335 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.7% of this state's fallen. That is 70.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Kansas Department of Corrections, 8 of 12 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Kansas Department of Corrections

of 12 officers

66.7% Felonious

KS — Statewide

237

of 335 officers

70.7% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious