7-27-2007 Texas:
40-year-old Michael Murray was a successful insurance salesman, TCU graduate and registered sex offender. His body was found by Fort Worth Police Wednesday evening inside his house in the 4600 block of Shadow Drive, near Ridglea Country Club.
Police say Murray’s throat had been cut, and are investigating his death as a homicide.
In March a Tarrant County judge placed Murray on deferred adjudication with 10 years probation for indecency with a child. Murray’s attorney says the judge’s ruling stems from an incident with a 15-year-old girl which occurred in April of 2006.
Records indicate Murray was divorced and has two young children.
Fort Worth police say Murray’s 2004 Chevy Tahoe was involved in a separate incident early Monday morning in which the driver, 24-year-old Robbie Scott, was arrested on two counts of aggravated assault of a police officer. Investigators are trying to determine if the incident with Murray’s vehicle and his death may have been related.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner is expected to complete an autopsy on Murray’s body before the weekend. It will help determine when Murray was killed, and could help investigators find the person responsible for his death. ..more.. by
Police probe suspicious death of sex offender
7-26-2007 Texas
FORT WORTH — Police are investigating the suspicious death of a man who was recently placed on probation for fondling a teenaged girl.
Authorities said Michael Murray's ex-wife found him dead inside his upscale Fort Worth home.
Neighbor Shelly Mocio said she came outside after she heard sirens. When she exited her home, she said she could see the woman surrounded by officers crying in front of his home.
"The ex-wife was sitting in front, quite hysterical," Mocio said. "She had obviously broken a window and then called 911."
Authorities said officers first suspected suicide, but said when detectives arrived they reached a different conclusion.
"They were able to examine his body; and sure enough, his throat had been cut and led investigators to believe it was not a suicide, but a homicide," said Dean Sullivan.
In March, Murray began serving probation for fondling a teenage girl. Under the terms of his probation, Murray was wearing a monitor at the time of his death.
Authorities said that monitor now may provide information about his activities and help detectives solve the case.
Police said they also have one other clue in the case. Officers stopped and questioned a man they caught driving his Tahoe on Monday. ..more.. by CHRIS HAWES / WFAA-TV
Sex offender found dead in his home
7-27-2007 Texas
FORT WORTH -- A woman who was concerned that she had not heard from her ex-husband went to his west Fort Worth home Wednesday night and discovered him dead, face down on the floor, police said.
Patrol officers called to the home in the 4100 block of Shadow Drive, not far from Ridglea Country Club, initially thought that Michael G. Murray, 40, had committed suicide because his arm was apparently cut and because of problems in his life, including a recent petition to revoke his probation. Murray was a registered sex offender.
But when homicide detectives and investigators from the Tarrant County medical examiner's office turned over the body, they saw that his throat had been cut, said Lt. Dean Sullivan, a Fort Worth police spokesman.
"That did not appear, in any way, to be a self-inflicted wound," Sullivan said.
The house showed no signs of forced entry, but there were indications of burglary or robbery, Sullivan said, and Murray's 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe was missing.
Police later found that the Tahoe had been impounded two days earlier after officers pulled over a 24-year-old man driving the SUV in the 5600 block of Wellesley Avenue shortly after 1 a.m. Monday.
As the officer approached the Tahoe, he saw the driver hide something between the seat and console, Sullivan said. When the officer ordered the man to show his hands, the driver pulled the officer into the open window and tried to drive off, Sullivan said.
The officer put the SUV in park and broke off the key. The driver tried to run away but was caught and shocked with a Taser after he continued to be combative, Sullivan said.
Officers found drug paraphernalia and what they suspect is crack cocaine inside the Tahoe.
Police tried to contact Murray to tell him that his SUV had been found, but they couldn't reach him.
Investigators are questioning the man found driving the Tahoe about Murray's death, Sullivan said. No official action has been taken against him, he said.
The driver remained in the Mansfield Jail on Thursday afternoon charged with aggravated assault of a public servant and evading arrest.
Tarrant County court records show that Murray was placed on 10 years' deferred adjudication probation in March for fondling a 15-year-old girl.
He was arrested in June after prosecutors filed a petition to revoke his probation. Prosecutor Christy Jack said the motion was filed after a surprise search of Murray's home, which was allowed under his probation terms, uncovered sexually explicit material including a magazine, DVD and images, and found indications that Murray had accessed a prohibited Web site.
Murray was released from the Tarrant County Jail on June 13 on $5,000 bail with conditions that included no contact with minors and no computer access, court records show. ..more.. by DEANNA BOYD
No comments:
Post a Comment