Tennessee Contractor Bags 8 Years for Child Sex Abuse Images

Jacksonville, FL – It’s a sickening reminder that even those in positions of power can’t escape the law: a Department of Defense contractor from Tennessee has been sentenced to more than eight years for receiving and distributing child sex abuse materials over the internet.

Tyler Lee Murrell, 27, of Hillsboro, Tennessee, was sentenced to eight years and one month in federal prison for receiving child sexual abuse images. Murrell was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender.

The investigation into Murrell’s activities began in March 2023, when the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) received information from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) about two CyberTipline Reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The CyberTips advised that child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) were suspected of being uploaded to a wireless cloud account belonging to Murrell. Internet Protocol (IP) addresses were provided for the CyberTips and traced to a residence belonging to Murrell in Jacksonville.

Upon further investigation, JSO learned Murrell was likely a member of the military or a Department of Defense contractor and turned the investigation over to NCIS. NCIS then obtained a search warrant for Murrell’s cloud account and located a video depicting CSAM from one of the CyberTips and additional files of CSAM.

A search of Murrell’s phone resulted in the discovery of numerous files of CSAM, including 43 videos and 38 images of CSAM. There were also numerous discussions related to CSAM, including a chat in which Murrell discussed engaging in sexual activity with a minor female child.

Murrell admitted to purchasing and receiving CSAM during an interview with law enforcement following his arrest. He also admitted to speaking with an adult woman who would send him videos of CSAM.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

As part of the sentence, Murrell will also be required to register as a sex offender and undergo supervised release for 15 years. This is just another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.