Headstone of William Degan
U.S. Marine Corps · United States United States

William Degan

1992

William Francis Degan Jr. served the U.S. Marine Corps for 3 years. William also served in the U.S. Marine Corps. William served in the Vietnam War and the Cold War.

How He Died
Manner Homicide
Cause Gunshot wound
Mechanism Firearm
What Happened
Deputy Marshal Bill Degan was shot and killed in Boundary County, Idaho, while conducting surveillance on a rural cabin owned by a man wanted on a federal bench warrant for failure to appear. Deputy Marshal Degan, along with two other deputy marshals, were scouting out the cabin and surrounding acreage in order to prepare operational plans to serve the warrant. As they neared the cabin the homeowner's dog alerted to their position. The homeowner's son and an adult friend then followed the dog into the woods as the deputy marshals retreated and took up a defensive position. As the two groups encountered each other the deputy marshals identified themselves but were immediately fired upon. Deputy Marshal Degan was struck by a shot from a .30-06 rifle, killing him instantly. The homeowner's son and dog were killed by return fire while the subject who shot Deputy Marshal Degan fled and returned to the cabin. Following a standoff in which the homeowner was wounded and his wife was fatally shot by an FBI sniper, the man's other family members and the subject who shot Deputy Marshal Degan were taken into custody. The man who shot Deputy Marshal Degan was later acquitted of federal murder charges in connection with Deputy Marshal Degan's death. Deputy Marshal Degan was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two sons.
Photograph of William Degan
Photograph of William Degan
Service Record
U.S. Marine Corps
1972 – 1975
U.S. Marine Corps
Vietnam War Cold War
Also Served
United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service
Deputy U.S. Marshal
In Our Keeping
Permanent identifier neuraspine_01krbxtmj03q6mz6pth12qn8ak
Record added August 2, 2026 neuraweb.nw
Stewarded by neuraweb.nw
Last updated August 2, 2026

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