Athens County man to serve at least 20 years for raping minor
ATHENS, Ohio (WCMH) – An Athens County man will serve at least two decades in prison after being found guilty of rape.
According to the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office, Joshua Murphy, 35, was sentenced to a mandatory prison term of 20-years-to-life, to be served in the State Penal System effective May 1.
Murphy, of Coolville, Ohio, was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree felony rape, which occurred over a period of five years, from February 2017 to December 2022. At the time of the crimes, the victim was between the ages of nine and 14.
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Authorities received information in March 2023 that a 14-year-old girl had reported being raped by Murphy. An investigation revealed that Murphy had sexually assaulted the girl on numerous occasions before the victim moved out of the area.
An Athens County criminal complaint said that since moving, Murphy had attempted to contact her several times and police obtained text messages that discussed meeting to engage in sexual conduct. The victim repeatedly denied such requests, police said.
Murphy admitted to police that the two engaged in sexual conduct approximately 10 times.
In addition to the prison sentence, Murphy will register as a Tier III sex offender and be subject to five years of community control, should he be released from prison.
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