Prosecutors have officially indicted a suburban New York police detective on hate crimes connected to a racist attack on a Black cell technician last year.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office released details on the new indictment against 41-year-old John Murphy, a detective with the Village of Rockville Centre Police Department.
On Nov. 3, 2024, the cellphone company employee, 48-year-old Derick Anwhere, was driving around a Long Island suburban neighborhood in his work-issued vehicle, surveying and inspecting cellphone towers to ensure the networks were properly transmitting service.
After inspecting one tower behind a residential cul-de-sac in Manorville, he parked his vehicle at a street corner to complete some paperwork.
A neighbor called Murphy to alert him about Anwhere’s vehicle, prompting Murphy to leave his home and approach Anwhere, who was seated in his car.
Murphy questioned Anwhere’s presence in the neighborhood, and when Anwhere tried to show him his employee ID, Murphy stuck his arm through an open car window, opened the door, and grabbed Anwhere’s laptop, according to prosecutors.
When Anwhere grabbed his laptop back, Murphy allegedly slammed the car door shut, called Anwhere a racial slur, and told him, “Get out of here, we don’t want you or your like in the neighborhood.”
Murphy then grabbed an amber light off the top of Anwhere’s work vehicle and threw it at the car, causing it to shatter, according to prosecutors. Then, he allegedly kicked Anwhere’s car, causing damage.
Prosecutors also say that Murphy threw the broken light at the car again as Anwhere drove off.
When Anwhere finally drove to safety, he called 911.
Anwhere spoke about the terrifying encounter to local and national news outlets. The 48-year-old said Murphy didn’t believe him when he told him why he was in the neighborhood.
“He gets agitated. His first words, ‘You’re lying, you’re lying.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean I’m lying? You see my work ID hanging in the vehicle. You see the siren,'” Anwhere previously told CBS News. “He threw it. It hit the door, and it broke up in fragments. One of the fragments hit my cheek. At that point, I got scared because I was under attack.”
Murphy was arrested on Nov. 13.
He was officially indicted on June 3 with two felony counts of criminal mischief, both hate crimes, and one misdemeanor count of aggravated harassment.
If he’s convicted, he faces up to 28 months to seven years in prison.
After his arrest, Murphy was suspended with pay from his job. He’ll be back in court on July 23.
“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,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. 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.”
