Kevin James Murphy, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, West Virginia 2025

BREAKING: A Lincoln County man has been sentenced to prison for a federal gun crime in West Virginia. Kevin James Murphy, 30, of West Hamlin, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on March 11, 2025, Murphy was the front seat passenger in a vehicle pulled over by law enforcement officers in Huntington. During the traffic stop, officers directed Murphy to exit the vehicle and asked if he had any weapons. As part of his guilty plea, Murphy admitted that officers seized a Taurus Model G2C 9mm from his waistband after he told them he had a firearm.

Murphy further admitted that the seized firearm was reported stolen, and that officers also seized approximately 29 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales, plastic bags, and 9mm ammunition from his backpack in the vehicle during the traffic stop. Murphy also admitted that he possessed and intended to distribute the seized methamphetamine and possessed the seized firearm in connection with that offense.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Murphy knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for attempt to commit a felony-possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance on March 29, 2016, and being a person prohibited from possessing firearms on June 29, 2019, both in Cabell County Circuit Court.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department, the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the U.S. Attorney's Office to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The defendant's exact sentence was five years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The case is part of a larger effort to combat gun violence and drug trafficking in West Virginia.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/lincoln-county-man-sentenced-prison-federal-gun-crime-2