John Brady Murphy
Agency patch
Special Agent

John Brady Murphy

Felonious
End of Watch September 26, 1953
Age 36
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
The Vigil Panel 89 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Special Agent John Murphy was shot and killed by a murder suspect in a movie theatre at 311 West Fayette Street in Baltimore, Maryland. The man had been traced to the theatre from a phone call he made to Los Angeles, California. As Agent Murphy and other agents attempted to arrest the man he opened fire killing Agent Murphy and wounding another agent. Other agents returned fire killing the suspect. The 32-year-old man had been released from Alcatraz Prison six months earlier after serving a sentence for bank robbery. Agent Murphy had served with the FBI for 13 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-C4783BC4
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.
Special Agent Murphy gave the United States Department of Justice 13 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Agent Murphy.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdjfbifed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 26, 1953
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
Age 36
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Special Agent John Brady Murphy 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 DC, 754 of 1,418 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.2% of this state's fallen. That is 53.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation, 37 of 89 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 41.6% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation
37
of 89 officers
41.6% Felonious
DC — Statewide
754
of 1,418 officers
53.2% 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 Brady Murphy's cause is highlighted.

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

How John Brady Murphy Compares

Age at Death
36
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
13
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Brady Murphy is highlighted in Sep.

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 Brady Murphy was killed by handgun.

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

Incident Location