Off-duty police detective from Manorville indicted on hate crime-related charges

An off-duty police detective from Manorville has been indicted on hate crime-related charges, for allegedly attacking a cellphone company employee while using a racial slur and damaging his work vehicle, Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced this afternoon.

John Murphy, 41, a detective with the Village of Rockville Centre Police Department, was arrested in November and arraigned today on charges related to the incident, following an indictment by a Suffolk County grand jury.

Murphy allegedly attacked a cellphone company employee who was driving around Murphy’s neighborhood on the evening of Nov. 3 inspecting nearby cellphone towers to ensure the networks were properly transmitting service, according to prosecutors. The victim was driving his work-issued vehicle which had a blinking amber light on the roof, the district attorney’s office said in a press release. He was parked at a corner near the defendant’s home completing paperwork when the defendant emerged from his homeland and approached the victim’s vehicle.

Murphy allegedly questioned the victim about his presence on the block, and when the employee tried to show the defendant his identification, Murphy yelled at the employee, reached inside the vehicle through the open window and opened the vehicle door, according to the report. He grabbed the victim’s laptop and when the victim grabbed it back, the defendant allegedly slammed the vehicle door shut, telling the victim, “get out of here, we don’t want you or your like in the neighborhood,” Tierney said. Murphy “used a racial slur towards the employee,” according to the prosecutor.

The defendant then allegedly ripped the amber light off of the top of the vehicle and threw it at the employee’s vehicle, breaking the light into pieces, Tierney said. The defendant then allegedly kicked the driver-side door of the vehicle, causing damage. As the victim drove away, Murphy allegedly picked up the broken amber light and threw it at the vehicle again, Tierney said. The employee drove around the corner and called 9-1-1.

“The victim in this case was just doing his job, working to improve cellphone service for Suffolk County residents, when the defendant allegedly attacked him and damaged his vehicle,” Tierney said.

“Even more troubling is that the defendant is a sworn police officer, responsible for protecting the rights of all citizens. The conduct alleged in this indictment will not be tolerated, regardless of what position a defendant holds,” the district attorney said.

Following an investigation led by the Suffolk County Police Department’s Hate Crime Unit, Murphy was arrested on Nov. 13, according to press release.

He was arraigned on an indictment before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins for the following charges:

• One count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, as a Hate Crime, a Class D felony;
• One count of Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree, as a Hate Crime, a Class E felony; and
• One count of Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor.

If convicted of the top count, the defendant faces up to 2 & 1/3 to 7 years in prison.

“Racial prejudice is despicable and had no part in this incident,” Murphy’s attorney, William Petrillo of Garden City, said in a statement to RiverheadLOCAL this afternoon. “That night the complainant gave three recorded, detailed narratives and never said a word about any racial slur. Detective Murphy served in 3 combat tours as a Marine, and is a loved and respected member of law enforcement,” Petrillo said.

Murphy is due back in court on July 23.

Editor’s note: This article was amended after its initial publication to add comments from the defendant’s attorney.