![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/d739f97f-e8a1-4a39-9d62-571d03c3648f_1140x641.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTexas honors two troopers killed by Bonnie and Clyde in 1934 with marine vessels, aiming to shift focus from the infamous criminals to the officers’ service <\/p>\n
DALLAS \u2014 The sound of the national anthem filled the air as a color guard stood at attention, honoring two Texas Department of Public Safety troopers whose lives \u2014 and legacy \u2014 were cut short more than 90 years ago.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, state leaders formally dedicated two tactical marine vessels to Troopers H.D. Murphy and E.B. Wheeler, who were shot and killed in 1934 by the notorious criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Officials say it marks the first time the troopers have been formally honored by the Texas Department of Public Safety since their deaths.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis vessel we dedicate today\u2026 it\u2019s a living tribute that will carry the legacy of our troopers who gave their lives while wearing the badge we still wear today,\u201d said DPS Regional Chief Jeremy Sharrod during the ceremony.<\/p>\n
Sharrod acknowledged that for decades, the story of Murphy and Wheeler was overshadowed by the notoriety of the criminals who killed them.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor far too long, the story surrounding their deaths has been overshadowed,\u201d he said. \u201cThe names of those who took their lives have been romanticized, dramatized and distorted by time and popular culture \u2014 but today that changes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vessels, officials said, are meant to permanently shift that narrative \u2014 from violence to service.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time it cuts through those waters, it will carry their names, their service and their story into the future,\u201d Sharrod said. \u201cIt will serve as a reminder that real heroism is not found in glamor, but duty.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For Leonard Murphy, the tribute is deeply personal.<\/p>\n
The 92-year-old is the nephew of Trooper H.D. Murphy \u2014 Hollaway Daniel Murphy \u2014 and brought with him decades-old newspaper clippings and family photographs, offering a glimpse into the life behind the badge.<\/p>\n
His uncle, he said, was just 12 days away from getting married when he was killed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says, \u2018I\u2019ve always been unlucky, so maybe this will change my luck,\u2019\u201d Leonard Murphy recalled. \u201cUnfortunately, it didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
The loss devastated the family. Murphy said his uncle\u2019s fianc\u00e9e, Marie Tulles, wore her wedding dress to his funeral.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe anyone would go through all that without shedding any tears,\u201d he said, becoming emotional.<\/p>\n
Investigators say Murphy and Wheeler were killed while doing what troopers continue to do today \u2014 helping someone in need.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had turned around to conduct what we call now a motorist assist\u2026 help a citizen in need,\u201d Sharrod said. \u201cUnfortunately, they were met by those two individuals and they were shot and killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to officials, the troopers believed they were assisting a stranded motorist. Instead, they encountered Bonnie and Clyde, who opened fire, killing both men.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey turned around to what they thought was someone stranded on the side of the road that needed help,\u201d Sharrod said. \u201cOnce they turned their motorcycles around, they were met by fire\u2026 and that\u2019s when they were both killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The killings were part of a violent spree that claimed multiple lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey killed 12 other people before they killed my uncle and Officer Wheeler,\u201d Leonard Murphy said. \u201cIt was unbelievable how romanticized their brutality was shown.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that there was some sense of justice when a Texas Ranger eventually tracked down the pair in Louisiana.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey got their just Texas reward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For officials and family members alike, Wednesday\u2019s ceremony was about reclaiming a story long dominated by the criminals \u2014 and returning it to the men who died in service.<\/p>\n
After decades of being defined by violence, they say, the story of Murphy and Wheeler is finally being defined by heroism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Texas honors two troopers killed by Bonnie and Clyde in 1934 with marine vessels, aiming to shift focus…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":231415,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-231414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}