Corporal Barbara Ann Dukes Ester

Barbara Ann Dukes Ester

Corporal Barbara Dukes Ester was stabbed to death by an inmate at the East Arkansas Regional Unit in Brickeys, Arkansas.

She had observed an inmate in possession of a contraband pair of sneakers and entered the open barracks to confiscate them. As she approached the inmate, he suddenly stabbed her twice in the stomach with a shank.

Corporal Dukes Ester was flown to a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where she succumbed to her wounds.

The 32-year-old inmate, who was serving a life sentence for murder, was immediately taken into custody and transferred to the maximum security wing of the prison. On November 7th, 2014, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. In 2025, he died in prison.

Corporal Dukes Ester had served with the Arkansas Department of Corrections for 12 years. She is survived by her husband, who also serves as an officer at the same facility, and one child.