Henry E. Thierry Sr.
Agency patch
Guard Officer I

Henry E. Thierry Sr.

Felonious
End of Watch July 10, 1970
Age 64
The Vigil Panel 107 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Guard Officer Henry Thierry was killed when he was assaulted by two inmates who were attempting to escape from the jail in the St. Louis County Courthouse in Clayton. Officer Thierry was killed during a planned jail disturbance by inmates attempting to create a diversion to escape. Officer Thierry was found under a bunk with a sheet around his neck, his hands tied behind his back, and a rag stuffed in his mouth. He was working overtime on his day off and was scheduled to retire the following week. Officer Thierry was jumped when he entered a prisoner cell block to remove food trays. He was beaten with makeshift blackjacks fashioned by inmates from socks filled with bars of soap. Two inmates then pried a screen from a window of the outdated jail and attempted to escape with use of bed sheets tied together. The escape never succeeded as the first prisoner became stuck when his shoulders wedged in the narrow opening. After a verdict of homicide by the St. Louis County Medical Examiner's Office, two inmates were subsequently charged by a St. Louis County Grand Jury with first-degree murder and escape attempt. Both inmates were awaiting trial on robbery charges and had previous escapes from a state penitentiary. One inmate ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a 10-year sentence consecutive to life term for four counts of robbery.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-7E2F0901
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.
Guard Officer I Thierry served with the St. Louis County Department of Welfare.
Thank you for your service to the St. Louis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Guard Officer I Thierry.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location St. Louis, MO
Platform Identity slcdwfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 10, 1970
Age 64
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Person

Guard Officer I Henry E. Thierry Sr. 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 63.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

St. Louis County Department of Welfare
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
MO — Statewide
516
of 813 officers
63.5% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Henry E. Thierry Sr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Henry E. Thierry Sr. Compares

Age at Death
64
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Henry E. Thierry Sr. is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Henry E. Thierry Sr. was killed by person.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from St. Louis County Department of Welfare are honored on badge.nw.