Warden Patrick N. Curran
Philadelphia County Prison System
Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Thursday, May 31, 1973
Biographical Info
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: Thursday, May 31, 1973
Location: Holmesburg Prison, 7901 State Rd.
Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Shank
Suspect Info: Both sentenced to life
Warden Curran and Deputy Warden Robert Fromhold were stabbed to death by two members of a religious group that was upset with prison restrictions at Holmesburg Prison. The two had planned in detail the murder of Deputy Warden Fromhold for his refusal to grant more meeting time to the group in the prison gym.
The suspects created a fake pass which they gave to a rookie guard who was filling in for a regular guard at the prison. The pass indicated they were allowed to see Deputy Warden Fromhold. When they entered his office the two closed the door and attacked him as he sat at his desk, stabbing him several times. Warden Curran and another officer heard the commotion from across the hall and went to assist Deputy Warden Fromhold. Warden Curran was stabbed in the back by one of the inmates in the rescue attempt. Deputy Warden Fromhold succumbed to his wounds at the scene and Warden Curran succumbed to his wounds en route to a local hospital. The inmates used home-made weapons to stab Curran six times and Fromhold 13 times.
One of the two suspects was in prison for the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Joseph Kelly on February 21, 1971. After the murders of Deputy Warden Fromhold and Warden Curran both suspects were sentenced to life in prison. The killers could not be sentenced to death because there was no death penalty in effect in Pennsylvania when the murders took place.
In 1995 a new prison facility was named the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in honor of Warden Curran and Deputy Warden Fromhold.
A Mass of Resurrection for Patrick Curran will be said in St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church, Keystone and Unruh Streets. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, Cornwells Heights. - Philadelphia Daily News, June 4, 1973
Sources:
1. The Officer Down Memorial Page http://www.odmp.org/officer/3720-warden-patrick-n.-curran
2. Philadelphia Bulletin.
3. Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia County Prison System
Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Thursday, May 31, 1973
Biographical Info
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: Thursday, May 31, 1973
Location: Holmesburg Prison, 7901 State Rd.
Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Shank
Suspect Info: Both sentenced to life
Warden Curran and Deputy Warden Robert Fromhold were stabbed to death by two members of a religious group that was upset with prison restrictions at Holmesburg Prison. The two had planned in detail the murder of Deputy Warden Fromhold for his refusal to grant more meeting time to the group in the prison gym.
The suspects created a fake pass which they gave to a rookie guard who was filling in for a regular guard at the prison. The pass indicated they were allowed to see Deputy Warden Fromhold. When they entered his office the two closed the door and attacked him as he sat at his desk, stabbing him several times. Warden Curran and another officer heard the commotion from across the hall and went to assist Deputy Warden Fromhold. Warden Curran was stabbed in the back by one of the inmates in the rescue attempt. Deputy Warden Fromhold succumbed to his wounds at the scene and Warden Curran succumbed to his wounds en route to a local hospital. The inmates used home-made weapons to stab Curran six times and Fromhold 13 times.
One of the two suspects was in prison for the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Joseph Kelly on February 21, 1971. After the murders of Deputy Warden Fromhold and Warden Curran both suspects were sentenced to life in prison. The killers could not be sentenced to death because there was no death penalty in effect in Pennsylvania when the murders took place.
In 1995 a new prison facility was named the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in honor of Warden Curran and Deputy Warden Fromhold.
A Mass of Resurrection for Patrick Curran will be said in St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church, Keystone and Unruh Streets. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, Cornwells Heights. - Philadelphia Daily News, June 4, 1973
Sources:
1. The Officer Down Memorial Page http://www.odmp.org/officer/3720-warden-patrick-n.-curran
2. Philadelphia Bulletin.
3. Philadelphia Daily News
Warden Patrick N. Curran
Philadelphia County Prison System
Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Thursday, May 31, 1973
Biographical Info
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: Thursday, May 31, 1973
Location: Holmesburg Prison, 7901 State Rd.
Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Shank
Suspect Info: Both sentenced to life
Warden Curran and Deputy Warden Robert Fromhold were stabbed to death by two members of a religious group that was upset with prison restrictions at Holmesburg Prison. The two had planned in detail the murder of Deputy Warden Fromhold for his refusal to grant more meeting time to the group in the prison gym.
The suspects created a fake pass which they gave to a rookie guard who was filling in for a regular guard at the prison. The pass indicated they were allowed to see Deputy Warden Fromhold. When they entered his office the two closed the door and attacked him as he sat at his desk, stabbing him several times. Warden Curran and another officer heard the commotion from across the hall and went to assist Deputy Warden Fromhold. Warden Curran was stabbed in the back by one of the inmates in the rescue attempt. Deputy Warden Fromhold succumbed to his wounds at the scene and Warden Curran succumbed to his wounds en route to a local hospital. The inmates used home-made weapons to stab Curran six times and Fromhold 13 times.
One of the two suspects was in prison for the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Joseph Kelly on February 21, 1971. After the murders of Deputy Warden Fromhold and Warden Curran both suspects were sentenced to life in prison. The killers could not be sentenced to death because there was no death penalty in effect in Pennsylvania when the murders took place.
In 1995 a new prison facility was named the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in honor of Warden Curran and Deputy Warden Fromhold.
A Mass of Resurrection for Patrick Curran will be said in St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church, Keystone and Unruh Streets. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, Cornwells Heights. - Philadelphia Daily News, June 4, 1973
Sources:
1. The Officer Down Memorial Page http://www.odmp.org/officer/3720-warden-patrick-n.-curran
2. Philadelphia Bulletin.
3. Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia County Prison System
Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Thursday, May 31, 1973
Biographical Info
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: Thursday, May 31, 1973
Location: Holmesburg Prison, 7901 State Rd.
Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Shank
Suspect Info: Both sentenced to life
Warden Curran and Deputy Warden Robert Fromhold were stabbed to death by two members of a religious group that was upset with prison restrictions at Holmesburg Prison. The two had planned in detail the murder of Deputy Warden Fromhold for his refusal to grant more meeting time to the group in the prison gym.
The suspects created a fake pass which they gave to a rookie guard who was filling in for a regular guard at the prison. The pass indicated they were allowed to see Deputy Warden Fromhold. When they entered his office the two closed the door and attacked him as he sat at his desk, stabbing him several times. Warden Curran and another officer heard the commotion from across the hall and went to assist Deputy Warden Fromhold. Warden Curran was stabbed in the back by one of the inmates in the rescue attempt. Deputy Warden Fromhold succumbed to his wounds at the scene and Warden Curran succumbed to his wounds en route to a local hospital. The inmates used home-made weapons to stab Curran six times and Fromhold 13 times.
One of the two suspects was in prison for the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Joseph Kelly on February 21, 1971. After the murders of Deputy Warden Fromhold and Warden Curran both suspects were sentenced to life in prison. The killers could not be sentenced to death because there was no death penalty in effect in Pennsylvania when the murders took place.
In 1995 a new prison facility was named the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in honor of Warden Curran and Deputy Warden Fromhold.
A Mass of Resurrection for Patrick Curran will be said in St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church, Keystone and Unruh Streets. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, Cornwells Heights. - Philadelphia Daily News, June 4, 1973
Sources:
1. The Officer Down Memorial Page http://www.odmp.org/officer/3720-warden-patrick-n.-curran
2. Philadelphia Bulletin.
3. Philadelphia Daily News
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
