Vermont Department of Corrections, Vermont
End of Watch Wednesday, December 4, 1935
Add to My HeroesHervey Burnham
Correctional Officer Hervey Burnham was stabbed to death by an inmate in an unprovoked attack at the Vermont State Prison in Windsor.
The inmate was walking in the main corridor of the prison when he suddenly attacked Officer Burnham without warning and stabbed him with a potato knife. Other guards were able to subdue the inmate and place him in solitary confinement.
The 17-year-old inmate was found to be insane and committed to the Vermont State Hospital. He was removed to a nearby nursing home in the 1980s, where he died from COPD on September 27, 1989.
Officer Burnham had served at the Vermont State Prison for two years. He had previously served as the Doorkeeper at the Vermont Capitol for four years, as overseer of the poor, as a deputy sheriff in Chittenden County, and as a state traffic officer for five additional years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and mother.
Bio
- Age 56
- Tour 9 years
- Badge Not available
Incident Details
- Cause Stabbed
- Weapon Edged weapon; Knife
- Offender Died in mental institution
Most Recent Reflection
View all 11 ReflectionsCorrectional Officer Burnham, it has been 89 years since you were taken from us. Northern New England law enforcement continues to serve and protect and make life secure for our part of the country. I honor your 9 years of law enforcement service to the citizens of Vermont.
Chief (Ret) Steven Marshall
Georges Mills, NH
December 4, 2024
