Lucas Daniel Murphy Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old, Kennewick WA, 2021

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Defendant Gets 20 Years for Child Sex Abuse

A 38-year-old man from New Mexico has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy he met online.

Lucas Daniel Murphy pleaded guilty to one count of Online Enticement of a Minor in the Eastern District of Washington. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sentence of 240 months imprisonment to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Dimke described Murphy’s actions as ‘ugly’ and stated that few offenses are more serious or cause more harm than this. Directly addressing the victim, Judge Dimke said: ‘Thank you for being here today. You are incredibly strong and brave to be here today. If you can be here today to stand up for yourself, you can do anything.’

According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Murphy met the 13-year-old victim using an online application in August 2021. Despite knowing the victim was 22 years his junior, Murphy began communicating regularly with the victim on SnapChat. Over time, the communications changed, and involved Murphy instructing the victim to engage in sex acts over live Snapchat video.

On December 18, 2021, Murphy drove from New Mexico to Kennewick, Washington, where he took the 13-year-old victim from a residential area. Murphy drove the victim to his residence in New Mexico, where he provided the victim with alcohol and marijuana and sexually abused the victim.

U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref stated, ‘As a parent, I am horrified by Mr. Murphy’s conduct. Mr. Murphy meticulously planned the abduction of his young victim and took steps to make it difficult for law enforcement to track his whereabouts.’

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kennewick Police Department, and local law enforcement in New Mexico. The victim was rescued from Murphy’s residence on December 22, 2021, and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Lauding the collaboration between local and federal law enforcement agencies, Assistant United States Attorney Laurel Holland said, ‘The victim stood before the Court and the community, addressed the harm the Defendant caused, and demonstrated that this harm will not define the victim’s life.’