Killing of Archie Muse in Virginia in 1937

Incident

Case summary

Archie Muse, a coal miner, 39, was killed in 1937 by police officer Arnold Ecadahl in Tazewell County, Virginia. Muse was kicked out of a confectionery and barber shop for being drunk and was found by Ecadahl in the stairway of an empty building. Witnesses saw Ecadahl brutalize Muse. Muse died from the injuries a week after the incident. The case against Ecadahl was ultimately dismissed.

Victim(s):

Archie Muse


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

[given name unknown] Constello

Arnold Ecadahl

Shorty Johnson

Perpetrator group type: police

Date of incident: 1937-10-10
Location: Pocahontas, Tazewell County, Virginia
Location type: public space - urban
Allegation against victim: being drunk on the street

Coroner process
Coroner/inquest: [ ]
Finding of no legal responsibility: [ ]

Criminal process
Arrest: [ ]
Charge/indictment/information: [ ]
Grand jury: yes
Trial: yes
Conviction: no
Sentence: [ ]


Document(s):
advocacy group resources
death certificates
Data Fields
To learn more about data fields, refer to the data dictionary.
Cite this Page
Refer to how to cite.