In St. Louis, Roger Murphey, a former police detective, has found himself at the center of a strange situation involving nine murder cases, according to an article by ProPublica. Unlike his usual role, Murphey has chosen not to testify against the defendants he believes are guilty. This decision comes as a result of his belief that his credibility, along with that of other officers, was questioned by prosecutor Kim Gardner. Gardner, who took office in 2016 with a promise to reduce mass incarceration, resigned earlier this year amidst pressure and staff departures. Following the discovery of some of Murphey’s social media posts, including one where he referred to a Black police shooting victim as a “thug,” Gardner placed his name on a red-flag list. It’s worth noting that Murphey is white.
Despite facing criticism, Murphey stands firm in his refusal to testify, and he wishes others in the department would follow his lead. He explains his reasoning by stating, “They have wives, they have kids, they have tuition, medical bills. But me, it’s just me and my wife, and my wife is like, ‘Go for it.'” Out of the nine cases, one ended in an acquittal after numerous unsuccessful pleas from a prosecutor for Murphey to take the stand. Additionally, four cases resulted in plea deals due to Murphey’s recusal, and charges were dropped entirely in one case. While prosecutors secured murder convictions in the remaining three cases, there is significant disappointment from the sister of one of the victims who feels let down that a police officer would distance himself from his own case. Find the full story here. (Or check out other longforms.)
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
