Randall Clayton Cupp

Correctional Officer Randall Cupp was killed when he attempted to break up a dispute while off duty at the parking lot of the Royal's Package Store on NC 16 in Wilkesboro. A civilian approached Officer Cupp and told him that she had been assaulted around 11:00 p.m. Officer Cupp responded to the scene and attempted to calm the dispute. One of the people involved in the dispute had a brother who was incarcerated at the correctional facility where Officer Cupp worked, and he recognized him. The subject hit Officer Cupp in the head six times with a car jack, killing him. The 22-year-old suspect, who had a long list of misdemeanor and felony convictions, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on November 17th, 1986. A new trial was ordered, and he was again convicted of first-degree murder but sentenced to life on August 11th, 1989. Officer Cupp was a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran and had served with the North Carolina Division of Prisons for seven years, assigned to the Alexander Correctional Center.