Incident
Deputy Mose Hill was beaten to death after he responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence in the county's Highland View area.
As Deputy Hill entered the home, the male subject in the dispute attacked him with an old, rusty rifle barrel. Deputy Hill was able to fire one round from his revolver, and struck the suspect in the chest. The shot did not stop the suspect who continued beating Deputy Hill until a member of a nearby utility crew tackled him.
Deputy Hill was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds that night. The suspect, who had served prison time for an earlier murder, was arrested at the same hospital.
The suspect was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death August 25, 1950. On March 4, 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the murder conviction stating that Deputy Hill had no right to enter the suspect's home without a warrant. The Gulf County Court was ordered to resentence the suspect on a manslaughter charge that resulted in a 20 year sentence.
Deputy Hill had served with the Gulf County Sheriff's Office for 2 years, and had previously served with the Port St. Joe Police Department.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-6A18C654- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Hill gave the Gulf County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Port St. Joe community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Hill.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Mose A. Hill 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 FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Mose A. Hill's cause is highlighted.
How Mose A. Hill Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 20 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Mose A. Hill is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Mose A. Hill was killed by blunt object.