This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.
From Peoria, Arizona, foster and adoptive parent and State Senator Rick Murphy is “under investigation for two cases of alleged sexual abuse of foster children in his home, according to police reports.”
“Peoria police and Child Protective Services are investigating the alleged abuse, The Arizona Republic first reported Thursday. Police opened the most recent investigation on Saturday after an 18-year-old male in Murphy’s care came forward with reports that the Peoria Republican had been inappropriately touching the teen since January 2007, the report stated.
The teen also admitted to inappropriately touching a 12-year-old girl in Murphy’s care, the report said. The teen is listed as both a suspect and victim in the report, which lists Murphy as under investigation for molestation.
The most recent case allegations prompted officials to reopen a 2011 case investigating Murphy for molestation, which was closed after police found there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Murphy, according to the Republic. The case was first opened in February 2011, with the alleged abuse occurring between January and February that year, the report stated.
Murphy, who considers himself an outspoken advocate for child-welfare issues and has cared for several adopted and foster children, could not immediately be reached for comment.”
[Arizona Capitol Times 6/28/13 by Ben Giles]
“Arizona Sen. Rick Murphy, a foster and adoptive parent who identifies himself as a leader on child-welfare issues, is under investigation by Peoria police and state Child Protective Services for allegations he sexually abused children in his care, according to police records.
Police said the investigation was launched Saturday, after an older teen reported repeated incidents of alleged abuse by Murphy going back at least six years. The teen also self-reported his own inappropriate sexual contact with another child in the home, the reports show.
CPS officials would not say whether they have removed any of the seven children living at the Peoria home of Murphy, 41, and his wife, Penny, 48.
The allegations prompted police to reopen an inactive 2011 case involving Murphy and a teenage foster child, Peoria City Attorney Steve Kemp told The Arizona Republic. According to a Peoria police report obtained by The Republic, the teen accused Murphy of fondling him underneath his clothing every other day for more than a month and offering to buy him a bicycle if he kept quiet.
Murphy has not been arrested or charged in either case. Late Thursday, Murphy said in a statement, “As a family, we have decided we have no comment.”
In 2011, CPS and police removed all seven children living in the four-bedroom home — the alleged victim, two adopted teens and four other foster kids — the same day the boy told his caseworker Murphy had abused him, the 2011 police report states. [Arizona does not have a minimum bedroom square footage requirement per foster child.]
CPS and police investigated the teen’s claims. Police concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Murphy, according to the report, and the state did not revoke the couple’s foster-parent license. Police received conflicting stories from the foster child and his former foster father. There was concern that the boy, who had a history of violence, vandalism and school suspensions, might have concocted the allegations so he could return to his former foster home. Murphy denied the allegations, according to that report.
During his legislative career, Murphy has been an outspoken critic of CPS. He has introduced dozens of child-welfare-related bills, including 10 this past session, many of which could benefit him and other foster and adoptive parents. This year, he fought unsuccessfully to increase state payments to foster parents.
Kemp released four heavily redacted pages from the 2011 and 2013 reports in response to a public-records request from The Republic.
According to the 2013 report, the child in Murphy’s home accused Murphy of touching the child’s penis “over and under his clothes while at their residence.” The alleged molestation occurred between January 2007 and May 2013.
The Peoria police report states police are treating that individual as both a child-molestation victim and a suspect.
Kemp said investigators looking at the 2011 case are interviewing children who have lived with the Murphys.
“Upon completion of the reopened investigation, we will then make (a) decision as to submission to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office,” Kemp said in an e-mail. “I will be working with the department on (a) continuous basis to continue to release information as promptly as we can without impacting negatively our ability to investigate both these matters.”
Murphy, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is now in his second Senate term following six years in the House. He has made CPS, foster care and adoption a centerpiece of his political career. In May, he told The Republic that he and his wife have cared for 38 children since they received their state license in 2005. They have adopted five children from CPS.
In campaign literature and in legislative debates, he cites his “daily personal experience” as a foster and adoptive father. He’s railed against CPS for allegedly failing to take children from drug-abusing parents, argued that foster kids should be free for adoption sooner and vowed to make it easier to fire CPS workers.
He has long advocated easing regulations on foster parents and allowing them to take care of more children. This year, he pushed legislation, which Gov. Jan Brewer signed, to extend licenses to two years from one and allow foster families to take in siblings or children they’ve previously cared for, even if it pushed them above their licensing limit.
“Especially in this environment, we really need to take a look at whether we should have a hard and fast limit of five (children),” Murphy said in 2011. At that time, he said he and his wife were caring for nine children.
Families are paid just over $20 a day per child, and an additional $2 to $3 a day if they’re caring for infants or teens.
Murphy, a Phoenix-area native, married Penny Raye Price in 2000. Both have been active in Republican politics for years, with Rick serving as a precinct committeeman before he was elected to the House in 2005 and Penny on the executive board of the Arrowhead Republican Women’s Club.
Rick Murphy has volunteered as a camp counselor and youth leader with his church and the Hemophilia Association, according to his campaign website and his legislative page. He also lists outdoor activities including hiking and shooting as interests.
He lists community activities including serving as a junior-high youth leader and junior-high Bible study leader at Christ’s Church of the Valley and a camp counselor and former youth mentor for the Hemophilia Association.
He attended community college in the early 1990s and earned his real-estate license in 1992.
Murphy lists his occupation as a real-estate agent on legislative and campaign materials, but state Department of Real Estate records show he let his license expire in November.”
[Arizona Central 6/28/13 by Mary K. Reinhardt]
REFORM Puzzle Pieces
Update:“Legislative colleagues of Arizona Sen. Rick Murphy reacted cautiously to news that Peoria police and state Child Protective Services are investigating allegations that Murphy sexually abused children in his care.Like most of his colleagues in the Legislature, Sen. Steve Pierce, R-Prescott, said it’s too soon to entertain calls for Murphy, a Republican, to step aside.Senate Majority Leader John McComish, R-Phoenix, agreed that the reports, while concerning, are not reason enough to call for Murphy’s resignation or to convene the Senate Ethics Committee.
“It’s a little too early for anything like that,” McComish said. “The process needs to work itself out. He hasn’t been found guilty of anything.”
Senate President Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Senate Minority Leader Leah Landrum Taylor, D-Phoenix, said police and CPS appear to be doing a thorough investigation and it should be allowed to run its course.
“I’m glad that our CPS is taking this very seriously and that they’re doing an investigation,” she said. “However, at the same time I am hopeful and prayerful, for everybody that’s involved, that it comes out OK.”
Police said they launched their investigation on June 22, after an older teen reported repeated incidents of alleged abuse by Murphy going back at least six years. The teen also self-reported his own inappropriate sexual contact with another child in the home, the reports show.
The allegations prompted police to reopen an inactive 2011 case involving Murphy and another teen foster child, Peoria City Attorney Steve Kemp told The Arizona Republic. According to a Peoria police report obtained by The Republic, the teen accused Murphy of fondling him underneath his clothing every other day for more than a month and offering to buy him a bicycle if he kept quiet.
Murphy has not been arrested or charged in either case. Murphy said in a statement on Thursday, “As a family, we have decided we have no comment.”
In 2011, CPS and police removed all seven children living in the four-bedroom home — the alleged victim, two adopted teens and four other foster kids — on the same day the boy told his caseworker Murphy had abused him, the 2011 police report states.
CPS and police investigated the teen’s claims. Police concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Murphy, according to the report, and the state did not revoke the couple’s foster-parent license.
Murphy, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chair of a CPS legislative oversight committee, is in his second Senate term following six years in the House. He has made CPS, foster care and adoption a centerpiece of his political career. In May, he told The Republic that he and his wife have cared for 38 children since they received their state license in 2005. They have adopted five children from CPS.
Assistant Senate Minority Leader Linda Lopez, D-Tucson, a former foster parent, said she hopes CPS has removed the children in the Murphy household until the investigation is complete.
Peoria police referred questions about whether all the children had been removed from the Murphys’ home to CPS.
CPS spokeswoman Nicole Moon said state law prohibits the agency from commenting on children in its care.
House Speaker Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, said he learned of the allegations via text message early Friday. Tobin said if the allegations turn out to be true, lawmakers “could be in a position where we’d have to possibly react,” but said he is “cautious to make a decision without seeing the facts.”
“In America, everyone’s innocent until proven guilty,” he said.
A lawmaker can resign for any reason. A member of the public or a state lawmaker can also file an ethics complaint against a lawmaker if they believe the official has committed “conduct alleged to be unethical,” which according to committee rules would include violating a state or federal law, violating the public trust or “any improper conduct that adversely reflects upon the Senate.”
The Senate Ethics Committee, a bipartisan group of senators, would then decide whether to dismiss the complaint or move forward with an investigation. The committee can investigate before any criminal investigation is concluded, but sometimes chooses to wait until a case is resolved.
If Murphy resigns or is removed, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors would name a replacement from a list of three names provided by the precinct committee within Murphy’s district.”
Arizona lawmakers cautious on Sen. Murphy sex-abuse inquiry
[Arizona Central 6/28/13 by Mary K. Reinhardt]
Update 2: “Police reports provide new details into a Peoria police investigation of sexual abuse allegations made against Arizona Sen. Rick Murphy in 2011, a case that was closed at the time but has since been reopened after new charges of molestation were made against the lawmaker.
Peoria police and Child Protective Services reopened the 2011 case after a male foster child in Murphy’s care reported in June that the Peoria Republican had been inappropriately touching the teen since January 2007, a police report stated.”
The article talks about how the children would be asked to massage the feet of Rick and his wife. Rick admits to the massaging but says it has been taken out of context. The child claims that he was asked to commit a sex act on the senator.
More details released in case involving Sen. Rick Murphy
[Arizona Capitol Times 7/19/13 by Ben Giles]
Update 3: Arizona Capitol Times names the accuser as 18-year-old foster teen/adoptee Enrique Thomas Murphy.
“Peoria police found no evidence to support allegations that Arizona Sen. Rick Murphy sexually abused one of his foster children and did not recommend any charges against the senator, according to a police report.
Enrique Thomas Murphy, 18, adopted by Murphy and his wife Penny, told police on June 22 that he was sexually abused by Murphy beginning when he was a 12-year-old in the Peoria Republican’s home, the report stated.”
Police find no evidence to support allegations against Sen. Rick Murphy
[Arizona Capitol Times 7/24/13 by Ben Giles]
“Peoria police have sidelined their investigation and won’t seek charges against state Sen. Rick Murphy in connection with allegations that he sexually abused two boys in his care, primarily because one of his teen accusers recanted.
But Murphy, 41, a foster and adoptive father and self-described leader on child-welfare issues, remains embroiled in a custody battle with state Child Protective Services after investigators removed his four adopted daughters from his Peoria home last week.
The monthlong police investigation hit a wall after Murphy’s adopted son, who disclosed the alleged abuse during a church retreat last month, left a phone message for the detective in the case saying he was retracting his accusations and “doesn’t want to talk about it anymore,” according to a police report released Wednesday.
Investigators said the case will remain inactive “until further information can be developed to prove or disprove the allegations.”
In addition to the teen recanting, there were no witnesses or physical evidence of the alleged incidents, Murphy refused to be interviewed and his wife, Penny, told police that their daughters would not speak to investigators or CPS about the allegations, the police report said.
A CPS investigation remains active, however. CPS removed the Murphys’ children from their home July17, a day after CPS learned that Penny Murphy, 48, said the children “were adamant that they did not want to speak to the police or CPS,” the police report says. A dependency hearing was scheduled this week in Juvenile Court.
Murphy issued a statement Wednesday through attorney Craig Mehrens, accusing CPS of retaliating against him, pressuring his children to make statements against him, placing them in a group home when relatives could have cared for them and violating state law by failing to notify him of coming court dates.
“CPS may be trying to coerce them into saying what CPS wants them to say,” the statement says. “It is possible that they simply are retaliating … for Sen. Murphy’s past criticism of CPS and its lack of public accountability. The Murphys call on CPS to return their daughters immediately or justify why they will not.”
The statement also said Murphy “has never abused any child, much less one who lived in his home.” And the family hoped to reconcile with the son who had accused Murphy of sexual abuse.
“The young man in question is a loved and valued part of Sen. Murphy’s family,” the statement says. “After his retraction, he reached out to the family for reconciliation, which we are hopeful can happen over time.”
Police and state CPS launched a joint investigation June22 after the adopted son reported repeated incidents of alleged abuse by Murphy going back at least six years. The teen also self-reported his own inappropriate sexual contact with another child in the home, the police report says.
CPS removed the six remaining children from the Murphy home, including two young foster children. The couple’s four daughters were interviewed by a forensic interviewer at Childhelp Children’s Center during the early hours of June22, and returned home that morning. The foster children were not returned. The adopted son moved out, police said.
The girls, including the child allegedly victimized by the adopted son, denied any sexual activity in the home. One child said her older brother sometimes gave her advice and painted her nails, according to the police report. CPS required a safety monitor to be with the girls at all times and prohibited them from having “unsupervised contact with male family members of the home.”
The allegations prompted police to reopen a 2011 case involving Murphy and another boy, a foster child who was 13 years old at the time. According to a Peoria police report, the teen accused Murphy of fondling him under his clothing every other day for more than a month and offering to buy him a bicycle if he kept quiet.
In that case, CPS and police removed all seven children living in the four-bedroom home, including two adopted teens and four other foster kids, the same day that the boy told his CPS caseworker Murphy had abused him. Murphy denied the teen’s claims. CPS and police investigated and concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Murphy criminally or uphold a CPS case.
As part of their review of that case, Peoria officials said investigators would interview foster children who have lived with the Murphys, including the teen from the 2011 case and his brother.
The foster child, who now lives in a group home, was reinterviewed by police July10 and stood by his allegations. Another foster child, now an adult, ran away from the Murphy home in May and could not be found, police said.
Although the police report said CPS had plans “to locate and speak to all the previous male foster kids who were at one time in the Murphys’ care,” there’s no indication that police talked to those children.
Peoria police were unavailable for comment Wednesday. Bo Larsen, a spokesman for the city, said both the 2011 and 2013 cases were considered inactive, though “there were still some items in the report that were still being followed up on.”
Murphy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chairman of a CPS oversight committee, is now in his second Senate term following six years in the House. He has made CPS, foster care and adoption a centerpiece of his political career. He’s been a frequent CPS critic and called himself a “leader” in efforts to reform the child-welfare system.
In campaign literature and in legislative debates, he touts his “daily personal experience” as a foster and adoptive father, and positions himself as a defender of Arizona’s abused and neglected children. He’s railed against CPS for failing to take children from drug-abusing parents, argued that foster kids should be free for adoption sooner and vowed to make it easier to fire CPS workers.
In May, he told The Republic that he and his wife have cared for 35 children since they received their state license in 2005. They have adopted five children from CPS.
The state pays foster families about $20 a day per child, and an additional $2 to $3 a day if they’re caring for infants or teens. The daily stipend continues for children who are adopted from foster care until their 18th birthday.”
No charges against state Arizona Sen. Rick Murphy in sex inquiry
[Arizona Central 7/24/13 by Mary K. Reinhardt]
Arizona Family has Senator Murphy’s statement which can be read in this 1 page pdf.
“Often seen as a family man working for foster children and their families, State Senator Rick Murphy‘s record was rocked last month after allegations of child molestation.
Police reports show that on June 22, a youth pastor reported that a teenage boy told him Murphy had touched him inappropriately, from January 2007 to May of 2013, starting when the boy was just 12.
Peoria police began interviewing the victim, even digging through another allegation of molestation against Murphy in 2011. In that case police found no evidence, and so it was closed. Now this new investigation has reached the same ending.
3TV has learned that on July 12, the accuser retracted his statements that Murphy had touched him. Officers say there were no other witnesses to any abuse, and no physical evidence.
Attorney Clark Derrick said this type of allegation can haunt a person long after the case is closed.
“I think the damage has been done at that point,” said Derrick, who is not working on this specific case. “That’s a very difficult perception public perception to dissuade or do anything about,” he said.
He says the fact that the teen took back his story, makes this difficult to investigate – and can stop a case in its tracks. Murphy himself declined to be interviewed by police.”
Lawmaker not charged following molestation allegation
[Arizona Family 7/26/13 by Maria Saavedra]
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