Wayne Martinez
Agency patch
Corporal

Wayne Martinez

Felonious
End of Watch June 26, 1997
Age 27
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
The Vigil Panel 144 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Corporal Wayne Martinez was stabbed to death by three inmates during an escape attempt at the Wyoming State Penitentiary. The suspects had gained control to the shift commander's office and attacked Corporal Martinez, beating him and stabbing him three times. The suspects then fled in a truck but were stopped when other officers opened fire on them at an exterior fence. The three inmates were convicted of Corporal Martinez's murder and sentenced to life in prison. One of the inmates died in prison in 2016. Corporal Martinez had served with the Wyoming Department of Corrections for seven years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, son, four daughters, and his parents.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-WY-0BAB6DA4
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.
Corporal Martinez gave the Wyoming Department of Corrections 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Wyoming. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Martinez.

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

Agency

Type Corrections
Location Cheyenne, WY
Platform Identity wdcorr.laramie.wy.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 26, 1997
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
Age 27
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Edged weapon

Corporal Wayne Martinez 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 WY, 41 of 63 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.1% of this state's fallen. That is 65.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Wyoming Department of Corrections, 3 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Wyoming Department of Corrections
3
of 3 officers
100% Felonious
WY — Statewide
41
of 63 officers
65.1% 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. Wayne Martinez's cause is highlighted.

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

How Wayne Martinez Compares

Age at Death
27
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
7
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Wayne Martinez is highlighted in Jun.

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. Wayne Martinez was killed by edged weapon.

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

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Wyoming Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw.