Marvin Durham
Agency patch
Deputy Constable

Marvin Durham

Felonious
End of Watch January 9, 1900
Tour of Duty
The Vigil Panel 16 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Constable Durham and Constable W. D. Turner were shot and killed while attempting to transport an inmate from the Durhamville town jail to the county jail.

The inmate had been arrested earlier in the day for refusing to comply with a county health ordinance to be vaccinated. The city judge ordered the inmate to pay a fine. When he refused to pay, the judge ordered that he be moved to the Lauderdale County Jail in Ripley, Tennessee.

Constable Turner deputized Marvin Durham to assist him with moving the prisoner. As they were about one mile away from Durhamville two brothers of the inmate ambushed the constables and shot both of them. Their bodies were found lying in the street by Constable Turner's wife. The inmate was also shot and later lynched by an angry mob, along with another one of his brothers.

Both suspects fled the scene.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-7B8295AE
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 Constable Durham served with the Lauderdale County Constable's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Ripley community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Constable Durham.

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

Agency

Location Ripley, TN
Platform Identity lcco.lauderdale.tn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 9, 1900
Tour of Duty
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Lynched

Deputy Constable Marvin Durham 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 TN, 498 of 769 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64.8% of this state's fallen. That is 10.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Lauderdale County Constable'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.

Lauderdale County Constable's Office
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
TN — Statewide
498
of 769 officers
64.8% 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. Marvin Durham'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 Marvin Durham Compares

Years of Service
0
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Lynched

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Marvin Durham is highlighted in Jan.

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. Marvin Durham was killed by gun; unknown type.

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 Lauderdale County Constable's Office are honored on badge.nw.