Missouri jail administrator charged with statutory rape and sodomy in Benton County
A Benton County jail administrator was charged with the felony statutory rape and sodomy of a juvenile over the weekend.
Nicholas Murphy, 42, is accused of raping a child under the age of 14 while working as a Benton County jail administrator. He was charged in Benton County Circuit Court on Sunday.
The Division of Drug and Crime Control, an investigative unit within the Missouri State Highway Patrol, investigated the case.
Benton County Sheriff Eric Knox wrote in a post on Facebook, releasing the news, that he was “shocked to my core.” Knox wrote that Murphy has been placed on administrative unpaid leave until further notice, and that neither the sheriff’s office nor the Benton County prosecutor will be involved in the case.
“It is my duty and obligation to keep you informed when it comes to your Sheriff’s Office,” Knox wrote on Facebook. “The need for and the importance of integrity is paramount, with that in mind, I write to you with a heavy heart.”
At around 8:40 a.m. on Feb. 25, Murphy was arrested at his residence by Missouri State Highway Patrol and placed on 24-hour investigative hold at the Pettis County Detention Center while awaiting charges, Knox said in a release.
Mark Gibson, a special prosecutor for Platte County, brought charges against Murphy that evening for statutory rape of someone under the age of 14-years-old in the first-degree and two counts of statutory sodomy for a person under the age of 12-years-old in the first-degree.
According to a probable cause statement filed with Benton County Circuit Court, a Homeland Security Investigation Forensic Interview Specialist spoke to the victim about the accusations on Dec. 9 and Dec. 14.
The victim alleged she was sexually abused by Murphy, between Feb. 27, 2009 and Feb. 27, 2019. The abuse occurred in Warsaw and on the family’s farm in Benton County.
She said, according to the court documents, that Murphy began touching her inappropriately at the age of 8 years old. The abuse happened nightly and by the time she was in seventh grade, he started performing intercourse on her, according to the filing.
The victim expressed that she was inconsolable over the abuse and scared of getting pregnant.
At the age of 15-years-old she stopped getting her period and Murphy brought her to an out-of-state abortion clinic. Murphy allegedly provided the funds and a fabricated story to get her the procedure, according to the probable cause statement.
She told investigators that the rape occurred frequently and almost “Any time that he could get me alone,” according to the court documents.
Murphy was brought in for questioning with the Sedalia Police Department on Feb. 25. In the interview, he described his relationship with the victim as positive. When officers asked about the allegations, Murphy requested an attorney.
At his first appearance in Benton County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Murphy pleaded not guilty and requested to be represented by a public defender.
He is being held at Pettis County Jail and his next court appearance will be a bond hearing on Friday.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 3:34 PM.
