James Milton Burns
Agency patch
Marshal

James Milton Burns

Felonious
End of Watch June 16, 1925
Age 52
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
The Vigil Panel 49 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal James Burns was shot and killed by a man who the marshal had confiscated several firearms from. The suspect fled to a cabin where he was discovered two days later. The man was lynched by an angry mob. Marshal Burns had served with the agency for five years and had served as sheriff of Sanpete County for the previous six years. He was survived by his wife and six children and is buried in Mount Pleasant City Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, Utah. His father, James Christopher Burns, had been shot and killed in the line of duty on September 26, 1894, while serving as sheriff of the Sanpete County Sheriff's Department.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and six children and is buried in Mount Pleasant City Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, Utah.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-UT-7F9990B5
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew James. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Marshal Burns gave the Castle Gate Marshal's Office 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Helper community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Marshal Burns.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Helper, UT
Platform Identity cgmarshal.carbon.ut.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 16, 1925
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
Age 52
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Marshal James Milton Burns 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 UT, 84 of 138 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.9% of this state's fallen. That is 60.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Castle Gate Marshal's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
UT — Statewide
84
of 138 officers
60.9% 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. James Milton Burns's cause is highlighted.

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

How James Milton Burns Compares

Age at Death
52
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
11
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Milton Burns is highlighted in Jun.

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. James Milton Burns was killed by gun.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Castle Gate Marshal's Office are honored on badge.nw.