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Probable cause found to charge retired US Army reservist
OAG plans to file separate charges over another alleged victim
Superior Court Associate Judge Teresa K. Kim-Tenorio yesterday found probable cause to charge retired U.S. Army reservist Michael Barry Murphy over the alleged sexual abuse of a 4-year-old girl.
As this developed, assistant attorney general Betsy Weintraub said the government is going to file separate charges against Murphy for allegedly also sexually abusing the 4-year-old girl’s 20-year-old mother, who disclosed that the defendant also sexually abused her when she was 9 to 12 years old between 2005 and 2008.
At a preliminary hearing, Kim-Tenorio found probable cause to believe that the crimes of two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree were committed and that Murphy may have committed such offenses.
Kim-Tenorio ordered the 54-year-old Murphy to answer the charges.
Arraignment will be on Aug. 29 at 9am.
The judge granted Weintraub’s motion to dismiss the charge of assault and battery as it is already a lesser included offense of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree.
At the hearing, Weintraub called to the witness stand Police Detective Catherine B. Pangelinan, who narrated to the court about their investigation that led to Murphy’s arrest last Aug. 15.
The prosecutor stated in the information that Murphy sexually abused the 4-year-old girl last Aug. 6.
Attorney Janet H. King is private counsel for the defendant.
According to Pangelinan’s report, the 20-year-old woman stated that when she came back home last Aug. 5 at 2am, she was shocked and scared upon seeing Murphy sexually abusing her 4-year-old daughter in the room.
Another woman, 26, also told police that the defendant sexually abused her when she was 9 to 14 years old at a house on Capital Hill and in a jungle in Obyan.
