A man accused of physically and sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl he picked up from her friend's house in Kennewick and took to New Mexico has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Lucas Daniel Murphy, 38, was charged with kidnapping and rape of a child in Benton County Superior Court before his case was moved to Eastern Washington District U.S. Court, where he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of online enticement.
Murphy began communicating with the middle-school girl on Snapchat over their shared music interests.
But over time the conversations changed, with Murphy telling her to call him "Daddy" and share sexually explicit photos and live videos with him.
His power over her was "so pervasive that she felt 'owned' before the two ever met," according to Holland.
U.S. Judge Mary Dimke said in the sentencing hearing in the Richland courtroom, which the victim attended, that Murphy's actions were "ugly" and that few offenses are more serious or cause more harm, according to the prosecution's account.
In December 2021, the victim was visiting Kennewick, where she had previously lived, her friend saw online conversations, in which the girl said she was 13 and Murphy claimed to be 21 and a mail carrier.
Shortly after that Murphy drove from New Mexico and picked up the girl in the Tri-Cities, giving her alcohol and marijuana and sexually abusing her during the drive back to New Mexico, according to court documents. Her cell phone was thrown out the car window in Oregon.
Her friends and family were frantic when they discovered she was gone, according to court documents.
Her mother found a tablet with explicit images of both her child and also Murphy, with Murphy's account linked to Los Lunas, N.M., according to court documents.
Four days after the girl went missing, a nationwide extraditable arrest warrant was issued for Murphy in Benton County Superior Court.
In an investigation started by Kennewick police, FBI agents found the girl with Murphy at his house, she was taken to a hospital, where bruises from being choked and hit were documented, according to court documents.
She told investigators that she was intoxicated most of the time she was with Murphy and described "torture," according to court documents.
"The devastation caused by defendant's conduct is horrific and requires a sentence commensurate with his conduct," Holland said in court documents.
She requested a 20-year prison sentence, questioning whether Murphy fully comprehended the lasting harm his conduct had caused.
His victim attempted suicide two months after she was found by law enforcement in New Mexico. It was the first of two suicide attempts, according to the Laurel Holland, assistant U.S. attorney, in court documents.
"As a parent, I am horrified by Mr. Murphy's conduct," said Vanessa Waldref, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. "Mr. Murphy meticulously planned the abduction of his young victim and took steps to make it difficult for law enforcement to track his whereabouts."
Murphy's attorney, public defender Jennifer Barnes of Yakima, asked for a 15-year sentence for his client.
Barnes said in a court document that Murphy, who had never spent time in jail before, "understands he committed an extremely serious crime, and he is very remorseful, but he also understands that a long prison term is warranted by his conduct."
He did not want to go to trial to spare his victim from having to testify, Barnes said.
But the girl stood before the court Thursday and "addressed the harm the defendant caused, and demonstrated that this harm will not define the victim's life," Holland said.
Dimke called her "incredibly strong and brave to be here today."
"Child sex offenders prey on the most vulnerable victims," said Raul Bujanda, FBI Albuquerque special agent in charge. "While today's sentencing cannot erase the harm inflicted upon the victim, I hope that it will serve as the first step toward closure."
U.S. Judge Mary Dimke ordered Murphy to lifetime probation after his release from prison.
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