Roll of Honor
William Thomas Whitehead
Incident
Detective William Whitehead drowned after being beaten unconscious, handcuffed, and pushed into a river by two suspects. Detective Whitehead was questioning the two men outside of a bar on suspicion of sexually assaulting a juvenile female. The two men attacked him and handcuffed him behind the back with his own handcuffs. They then threw him into the New River, under the Old Bridge at Court Street. A medical examination determined that Detective Whitehead was alive when he was thrown into the river. Both suspects, Marine Corps deserters, ages 23 and 24, were apprehended on February 17, 1983. One was apprehended in Davenport, Iowa, and the other in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the suspects was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was denied parole in January 2015. The other suspect was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years. He was paroled on September 7th, 1988. Detective Whitehead was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Jacksonville Police Department for five years. He was survived by his wife. A week before his death, he was awarded the J. Edger Hoover Distinguished Service Award for his work on a string of armed robberies, 11 rapes, and several homicides.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-E190C759- 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.
Detective Whitehead gave the Jacksonville Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Jacksonville community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
William Thomas Whitehead served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Detective William Thomas Whitehead 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Jacksonville Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Thomas Whitehead's cause is highlighted.
How William Thomas Whitehead Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Thomas Whitehead is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Thomas Whitehead was killed by person.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Jacksonville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
