Deputy Sheriff Earl W. Truitt

Earl W. Truitt

Deputy Sheriff Earl Truitt was shot and killed after being lured into an ambush by a family operating several stills on their property in the area of Drummond's Switch, near Empire, Alabama.

Several of the family members were to be indicted by a grand jury later in the day as the result of an investigation by Deputy Truitt in which he had discovered several stills. The head of the family lured him to the property in the morning with the ruse that they would show him the location of another still. As they walked along a field one of the man's sons shot Deputy Truitt from behind with a shotgun, killing him instantly.

The family members then buried Deputy Truitt's body in a pre-dug grave on the edge of their soybean field. They then reburied his body under a driveway several days later. One of the sons was arrested in Georgia one year later and confessed to the murder and the location of Deputy Truitt's body. His body was located. One of the sons was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Another was acquitted. The father and the remaining son fled the area for several years and were ultimately not successfully prosecuted due to the lapse of time and missing witnesses.

Deputy Truitt was survived by his wife.