Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Jinks Wilson was shot in the chest and killed by two armed robbery suspects when he caught them switching the license plates on two cars on Highway 70 at 11:50 a.m. Sheriff Wilson was driving a motorist back to his disabled car when they encountered the two men switching the license plates from the disabled car to their getaway car. The suspects opened fire with a shotgun, killing Sheriff Wilson and wounding the citizen. The two men were escapees from a Louisiana prison. Both men, 25 and 28, were captured within two hours near Crosbyton. Both were convicted of Sheriff Wilson's murder. One was sentenced to 40 years, and the other, the oldest, was sentenced to death on August 10, 1977. On March 21, 1979, the Texas Court of Appeals ordered a new trial. He received a life sentence. Sheriff Wilson had served with the Motley County Sheriff's Department for 29 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-370B2EB4- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
29 years. You could have gone home.
Sheriff Wilson gave the Motley County Sheriff's Department 29 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Matador community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Wilson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Jalmar Lamar "Jinks" Wilson is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Motley County Sheriff's Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jalmar Lamar "Jinks" Wilson's cause is highlighted.
How Jalmar Lamar "Jinks" Wilson Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Jalmar Lamar "Jinks" Wilson is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Jalmar Lamar "Jinks" Wilson was killed by shotgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Motley County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
