The Brief It's been 27 years since two detectives with the Tampa Police Department and a young state trooper were murdered by a dangerous criminal who unlocked his handcuffs. It was a terrible day that fellow law enforcement officers who worked with the Tampa detectives will never forget. The girlfriend of the suspect who killed the three law enforcement officers went to prison. It's been 27 years, but May 19, 1998, is still remembered as one of the darkest days for law enforcement officers in the Tampa Bay area. Big picture view:Hank Earl Carr murdered two Tampa detectives and a state trooper.