Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Raymond Worley was shot and killed after stopping a van. During the stop he placed the driver of the vehicle in his patrol car. A second van then pulled up at the scene and the driver of that van approached Trooper Worley. He then produced a handgun and shot Trooper Worley. The man turned out to be the brother of the person Trooper Worley had detained. The two were driving vans filled with stolen property from a grocery store they had broken into in Pender County. The suspects fled the scene after shooting Trooper Worley. When state highway patrol dispatchers could not raise him by radio, a DMV officer from the I-95 weigh station was dispatched to respond for backup. The responding officer found him dead at the scene. Four suspects were ultimately arrested after a manhunt involving over 500 state, local and federal officers from North Carolina and Virginia. Three were convicted of accessory to murder and possession of stolen property. The shooter, 30, was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death on December 5th, 1985. The death sentence was overturned by a U.S. Circuit court in February 2003. His sentence was commuted to life in prison on July 20th, 2006. As of June 10, 2023, he remains in prison. The other three suspects were sentenced to 9 to 10 years. One was released from prison on October 1st, 1990. The other two were released on Febuary 9th, 1992, and September 13th, 1993. Trooper Worley had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for 23 years and was assigned to Troop A in Halifax County.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-CC27F9A6- 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
23 years. You could have gone home.
Trooper Worley gave the North Carolina Highway Patrol 23 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of North Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Worley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Raymond Earl Worley 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At North Carolina Highway Patrol, 23 of 69 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Raymond Earl Worley's cause is highlighted.
How Raymond Earl Worley Compares
Offender Outcome
Commuted to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Raymond Earl Worley is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Raymond Earl Worley was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
68 officers from North Carolina Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
