Mose A. Hill
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Mose A. Hill

Gulf County Sheriff's Office — Port St. Joe, FL
Felonious
End of Watch May 10, 1950
Age 39
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
The Vigil Panel 86 ›
Gender Male

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

Location Port St. Joe, FL
Platform Identity gcso.gulf.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 10, 1950
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Assault
Weapon Blunt object
Offender Sentenced to 20 years

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%.

Gulf County Sheriff's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
FL — Statewide
539
of 1,008 officers
53.5% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Mose A. Hill's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Mose A. Hill Compares

Age at End of Watch
39
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

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.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Mose A. Hill was killed by blunt object.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location