Howell Burchfield

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation — Sacramento, CA

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch June 8, 1985

Age 37

Tour of Duty 12 yrs

The Vigil Panel 129 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 41

Incident

Sergeant Howell Burchfield was stabbed to death when he was attacked by an inmate at the San Quentin State Prison's Carson Unit.

He was stabbed in the heart, causing him to bleed to death. All three inmates involved in the attack were convicted of his murder. The inmate who stabbed him and the inmate who ordered the stabbing were sentenced to life with no possibility of parole. The inmate who made and provided the shank was sentenced to death.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CA-73F86972
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.
Sergeant Burchfield gave the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Burchfield.

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

Agency

Department California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Type Corrections

Location Sacramento, CA

Platform Identity cdcrcorr.sacramento.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 8, 1985

Tour of Duty 12 yrs

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Military Service

Howell Burchfield served in the the United States military (1968â1973) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Sergeant Howell Burchfield 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 30 of 42 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 71.4% of this agency's fallen.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

of 42 officers

71.4% Felonious

CA — Statewide

974

of 1,837 officers

53% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious