William Dewey Jarrell
Agency patch
Guard

William Dewey Jarrell

Greene County Sheriff's Office — Greensboro, GA
Felonious Veteran
End of Watch June 21, 1948
Age 29
The Vigil Panel 84 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Guard William Jarrell was struck and killed while supervising an inmate at a Greene County Prison Farm road worksite.

When the work crew brought lunches to the road site, they were unable to find Guard Jarrell or the inmate. After an exhaustive search, Guard Jarrell was found buried under a pile of dirt, with his skull crushed and evidence that a bulldozer had run over his body. The inmate had escaped in a prison dump truck.

The inmate fled Georgia and was apprehended in Massachusetts by FBI agents. He was convicted of Guard Jarrell's murder and was executed on November 26, 1948.

Guard Jarrell was a United States Army Air Forces World War II veteran.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, stepson, parents, and brothers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-B361B3BD
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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Guard Jarrell served with the Greene County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Greensboro community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Location Greensboro, GA
Platform Identity gcso.greene.ga.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 21, 1948
Age 29
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Blunt object
Offender Executed

Military Service

William Dewey Jarrell served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Guard William Dewey Jarrell 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 GA, 548 of 903 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.5 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Greene County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Greene County Sheriff's Office
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
GA — Statewide
548
of 903 officers
60.7% 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. William Dewey Jarrell'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 William Dewey Jarrell Compares

Age at End of Watch
29
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Executed

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Dewey Jarrell is highlighted in Jun.

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. William Dewey Jarrell 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

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Greene County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.