Roll of Honor
Darla Kay Lathrem
Incident
Correctional Officer Darla Lathrem was killed as she supervised five inmates on a construction detail inside the Charlotte Correctional Institution.
She was assaulted by three of the inmates as they made an attempt to escape. The inmates were assisting with the building of a new dormitory for the maximum security prison and had access to tools such as hammers and screwdrivers. They attacked her with a five-pound sledgehammer.
Two of the inmates were attacked by the other three when they refused to participate in the escape attempt. One of the victim inmates died as a result of his injuries.
Two of the escaping inmates were captured between the facility and the inner perimeter fence. The third was caught between the inner and outer perimeter fences. The inmate that killed Officer Lathrem was sentenced to death on March 31st, 2006. The 'mastermind' of the escape attempt was convicted of her murder on June 23rd, 2006 and sentenced to death on August 18th, 2006. The third inmate had agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for a life sentence, but the judge rejected his guilty plea because of concerns about his mental competence.
Officer Lathrem's death was the first corrections officer fatality at the facility. Additionally, she was the first female corrections officer to be killed in the line of duty in Florida. She had served with the Florida Department of Corrections for one year.
Survivors
She was survived by her parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-B3C5ABD9- 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
You barely got started.
Correctional Officer Lathrem gave the Florida Department of Corrections 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the people of Florida. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Correctional Officer Lathrem.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Correctional Officer Darla Kay Lathrem 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 FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 53.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Florida Department of Corrections, 11 of 33 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Darla Kay Lathrem's cause is highlighted.
How Darla Kay Lathrem Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Darla Kay Lathrem is highlighted in Jun.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Darla Kay Lathrem was killed by blunt object; hammer.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
32 officers from Florida Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
