A Washington County, Missouri man was sentenced on April 29 to 29 years in prison for sexually abusing a teenage girl and soliciting explicit material from her, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. William R. Murphy, age 41, engaged in sexual contact with a juvenile victim between the ages of 13 and 17, at times threatening her to take sexually explicit photographs of herself.
Murphy pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of production of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted it.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 that brings together federal, state, and local resources to combat child exploitation crimes committed via the Internet as well as identify victims.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri advances community well-being by working with entities to prevent crime and improve quality of life, according to the official website. The office uses both the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis and Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Cape Girardeau as noted on its official website. It operates under the United States Department of Justice as stated online.
The office serves a total area covering 49 counties across eastern Missouri according to its official site, investigating federal crimes such as terrorism or fraud while enforcing civil rights as detailed on its website. Collaboration with law enforcement partners is central as it works towards crime prevention efforts that aim at improving community quality of life throughout those counties according to information provided online.
