Jury finds Murphy guilty of sexual abuse

           A former Packwood man will spend the next 25 years behind bars after a four day jury trial found him guilty of sexual abuse in the 2^nd degree .

            After a day long process  on Tuesday, April 4, a panel of 28 jury members were finally narrowed down to begin the trial for Matthew Lee Murphy, who would stand trial for the accusation of Sexual Abuse 2nd degree in the Jefferson County courtroom. 
            Mr. Murphy was an employee of the Southeast Iowa Crime Commission office and a reserve deputy for the Keokuk County Sheriff’s office at the time of his arrest. 
            On Wednesday, April 5, the prosecution and defense both delivered their opening statements to a panel of jurors that had been chosen for this case. After opening statements, the state called their first witness, a minor child, to testify. The minor child went on to testify that on the date of the incident, she had gone to stay the evening with Mr. Murphy. The child further testifies to the details of the incidents that occurred while in the care of Mr. Murphy that led to the criminal investigation and arrest of Mr. Murphy. 
Please view the April 12 edition of The News-Review for the full story.