Credit: U.S. Attorney’s Office – Northern District of Mississippi news release
April 23, 2025 – A federal jury convicted a Booneville man for possessing child sexual abuse materials after hearing evidence for three days in a trial before Senior District Judge Glen H. Davidson in Aberdeen, Mississippi.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Andrew Murphy, 36, a former high school science teacher, was found guilty today for possessing child pornography. Sentencing has been scheduled for July 28 at the U.S. Courthouse in Aberdeen, Mississippi.
Over two days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that Murphy collected images of child exploitation material, child nudity, child erotica, and images of children engaged in sexual activity, using a peer-to-peer network online.
The statutory penalties are up to ten years imprisonment, five years to life on supervised release, and registration on the sex offender registration.
“The case presented to the jury by AUSAs Parker King and John Herzog clearly established the guilt of this teacher who possessed images that demonstrated his sexual interest in children,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I cannot overstate the importance of our partnership with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the FBI, and our local law enforcement partners, such as the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department, in protecting children, and this partnership will continue to do just that.”
“For every image of child pornography there is a child who is a victim and who will relive his or her abuse over and over again while that image circulates. We are committed to holding all predators who exploit Mississippi children accountable, and particularly those that hold positions of trust and care for our children,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I appreciate the strong partnership our office has with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI. Together, we are dedicated to serving justice for the victims in this case and all others.”
“Safeguarding our society’s future begins with protecting children in our community from predatory individuals like, Andrew Murphy,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office. “Murphy held a position of trust and violated that trust that our communities had in him with these heinous crimes against our youth; it will not be tolerated. The FBI maintains a steadfast commitment, in working alongside our federal, state, and local partners, to protect the innocence of our minors, and aggressively investigate predators, like Murphy, to hold them accountable and make sure they are brought to justice.”
The case was investigated and conducted by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Parker S. King and John Herzog are prosecuting the case.
The case against Andrew Murphy was brought as part of the Project Safe Childhood nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
