Roll of Honor
Incident
Constable Robert Murphy died eight days after being stabbed while attempting to serve a warrant in Bath Township.
The subject of the warrant was a 75-year-old man who was wanted for assaulting a female neighbor. When Constable Murphy first spoke to the man, the subject refused to accompany him and instead said he would appear the next morning.
Constable Murphy left the cabin but later returned to take the man into custody. He was met on the doorstep by the man who had pulled a butcher knife that he had hidden between logs in the wall. The man thrust the knife into the left side of Constable Murphy, who succumbed to his wound eight days later.
The man was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. On May 27th, 1825, as he stood on the gallows, the governor arrived by horseback from Indianapolis to grant him a pardon.
Constable Murphy had only recently been appointed as a constable.
Survivors
He was survived by his five brothers, three sisters, parents, and paternal grandparents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-DD75CFDB- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Robert. 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
202 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Murphy served with the Bath Township Constable's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Bath community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable Robert Murphy 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 IN, 311 of 503 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.8% of this state's fallen. That is 7.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Murphy's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Murphy Compares
Offender Outcome
Pardoned in 1825
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Murphy is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Robert Murphy was killed by edged weapon; knife.