Dedicated To those That Gave The Supreme Sacrifice
Punta Gorda City Marshal John Bowman
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Thursday, January 29, 1903
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Death sentence, later commuted to life
City Marshal John Bowman was assassinated by a suspect who fired a shotgun through the front window of Marshal Bowman’s residence. He was shot as an act of revenge for his tough stance against drinking and gambling. The murder took place in front of his wife and four children. The suspect was arrested and sentenced to death, but the sentence was later commuted to life. Marshal Bowman had been with the agency for seven years.
Punta Gorda Assistant Chief Richard Beecher
Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle
Date of Incident: Tuesday, October 10, 1978
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Not applicable
Assistant Chief Richard Beecher was killed while searching for an escaped convict. While conducting a search, Chief Beecher flagged down a truck and stepped up on the running board to speak to the driver. After questioning the driver, he stepped down off the running board and was struck by a passing motorist. The incident occurred at the intersection of North Washington Loop Road and Duncan Road (US 17). Chief Beecher was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries a few hours later. The stop took place during the hours of darkness and the motorist did not have time to react to Chief Beecher stepping in front of him. No charges were placed against the motorist.
Florida Assistant State Attorney Eugene O. Berry
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Saturday, January 16, 1982
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Information: Convicted of First Degree Murder
Assistant State Attorney Eugene O. Berry was shot and mortally wounded when he answered his front door in Punta Gorda. Gene had been enjoying the company of his family. The wife of a convicted drug dealer fired the shots. Mr. Berry had successfully prosecuted the drug dealer recently. Gene Berry, married with five children, had worked in the State Attorney's Office for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit since June 1977. He had begun working with the State Attorney's Office in Florida a year earlier in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.
Charlotte County Sheriffs Deputy Curtis Moore
Cause of Death: Motorcycle accident
Date of Incident: Sunday, April 24, 1983
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Charged Under the Motor Vehicle Code
Deputy Curtis Moore was killed in a motorcycle accident. Deputy Moore had just completed his shift and was driving his police motorcycle to his residence when a car pulled out in front of him. This incident took place near the intersection of El Jobean Road (State Route 776) and McCall Road (State Route 771). The motorist, an 88 year old female, was charged in the incident but never went to trial.
Charlotte County Deputy Robert E. Lister
Cause of Death: Heart Attack
Date of Incident: 1986
Robert E. Lister was originally from the State of Michigan. In Michigan he had served on the Pontiac Township Police Department. After relocating to Florida, Bob was employed as a Deputy Sheriff by Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. In order to supplement his salary he had taken leave and was driving a bus containing a Methodist church youth group on a field trip. Bob suffered a fatal heart attack while in Jasper, FL.
Bob was a founding member the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 66 in Charlotte County in September 1985 and served as the first president of the lodge. Following his death the lodge was renamed the Robert E. Lister Memorial Lodge in his honor. Bob was survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.
Florida Corrections Officer Darla Lathrem
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Weapon Used: Hammer
Suspect Info: Sentenced to death
Officer Darla Lathrem was killed as she supervised five inmates on a construction detail inside the Charlotte Correctional Institution. Three of the inmates assaulted her as they attempted to escape. The inmates were assisting with the building of a new dormitory for the maximum security prison and had access to tools such as hammers and screwdrivers.
The other three attacked two of the inmates when they refused to participate in the escape attempt. One of the victim inmates died because of his injuries. Two of the escaping inmates were captured between the facility and the inner perimeter fence. The third was caught between the inner and outer perimeter fences. The inmate who killed Officer Lathrem was sentenced to death on March 31, 2006.
Officer Lathrem's death was the first corrections officer fatality at the facility. Additionally, she was the first female corrections officer to be killed in the line of duty in Florida. She had been with the Florida Department of Corrections for one year.
