Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Purifoy was beaten to death after responding to a family disturbance call. Deputy Purifoy was dispatched to the scene around 5:40 pm, and about 6:00 pm another call concerning a deputy being down was received. The sheriff arrived around 6:30 pm and found the deputy's body, which had been badly beaten, with an iron of some sort. The suspect came out of the house holding something behind his back and when ordered to remove his hand and drop what he had, he produced a handgun. He then turned and went back inside the house. The sheriff fired three shots at the suspect, who fired five times in return. The suspect was wounded in the exchange of gunfire, surrendered, and taken to the now defunct Nevada County Hospital for treatment. The suspect, 39, with a history of mental problems, was convicted of capital murder and was sentenced to life without parole. He died in prison on June 13, 2002. Deputy Purifoy had served with the Nevada Count Sheriff's Department for 26 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-13BB5B85- 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 R.. 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
26 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Purifoy gave the Nevada County Sheriff's Department 26 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Prescott community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Purifoy.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy R. D. Purifoy 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 AR, 249 of 372 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.9% of this state's fallen. That is 12.7 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. R. D. Purifoy's cause is highlighted.
How R. D. Purifoy Compares
Offender Outcome
Died in prison
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. R. D. Purifoy is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. R. D. Purifoy was killed by blunt object.