John Henry Brendel
Agency patch
City Marshal

John Henry Brendel

Knob Noster Police Department — Knob Noster, MO
Felonious
End of Watch October 24, 1903
Age 46
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
The Vigil Panel 18 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal Brendel succumbed to wounds received five days earlier when he was struck in the back of the head with a piece of wood. Several times that day he had broken up a group of men who were drinking in an alley. After each time he broke them up the men would regroup. The third time he instructed them to leave he was attacked and struck from behind. He remained in a coma for five days before succumbing to the wounds.

One suspect was charged with his murder. On March 10, 1904, he was tried and acquitted.

Marshal Brendel had been with the agency for five years and was survived by his wife and five children.

Survivors

Marshal Brendel had been with the agency for five years and was survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-5B1D4A6F
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.
City Marshal Brendel gave the Knob Noster Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Knob Noster community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, City Marshal Brendel.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Knob Noster, Johnson County, MO
Platform Identity knpd.johnson.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 24, 1903
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 46
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Assault
Weapon Blunt object; Lumber

City Marshal John Henry Brendel 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%.

Knob Noster Police Department
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. John Henry Brendel's cause is highlighted.

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

How John Henry Brendel Compares

Age at Death
46
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Henry Brendel is highlighted in Oct.

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. John Henry Brendel was killed by blunt object; lumber.

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 Knob Noster Police Department are honored on badge.nw.