"Heroes Live Forever" - the story of Alabama Correctional Officer William E. "Bill" Donaldson

Correctional Officer William E. Donaldson

McLean, VA (July 7, 2026) - On January 12, 1990, Alabama Correctional Officer William E. “Bill” Donaldson entered a segregation unit at the West Jefferson Correctional Institute to escort a nurse to dispense medication to an inmate — a routine act of care and duty that correctional officers perform countless times a day. In that moment, a prisoner attacked him, stabbing him to death. It was a sudden, violent act against a young officer who was simply doing his job, serving with professionalism and compassion.

His murderer had previously been convicted for killing Fairfield, Alabama Police Officer Myron Massey during a 1985 traffic stop. The man responsible for two law enforcement deaths later died by suicide, closing a tragic chapter in the annals of Alabama and U.S. corrections history.

Bill was just 27 years old when he died. He was survived by his wife, Jennifer and his daughter, Mandy, who was just a young child when her father was killed. Earlier this year, on the anniversary of her father’s death, Mandy wrote a touching tribute to Bill. She said, “While I am forever proud of him and his heroism, and I recognize the beauty and blessings of my life, I still wish I would have had him in my life longer than 4 years. I wish he could know [my husband] Scott and be a grandfather to my children. I wish I had funny stories to tell about him and his hair was able to turn gray. While the grief still occasionally stings, and always will, I know that he is a constant presence in my life, and he continues to live on through me, his namesake, Billy, and through Charlotte. He is a hero and a saint, and as his daughter, I will never let his memory fade.”

Years after his death, the West Jefferson facility was renamed the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, ensuring that every person who walks through its gates knows the name and sacrifice of the officer who gave his life there.

Listen to the podcast to learn the rest of Bill Donaldson’s story: https://behindbadge.substack.com/p/heroes-live-forever-the-story-of-621