Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 30, 1995                   TAG: 9506300062
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: KIMBERLY N. MARTIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ATHLETE PLEADS GUILTY

About a month ago, he got a taste of another kind of notoriety.

Murphy, 18, was charged with breaking and entering, grand larceny and reckless driving.

On Thursday, the 1995 Salem High graduate waived his right to grand jury indictment and pleaded guilty to those charges in Salem Circuit Court.

The charges arose out of a May 17 theft at the Salem Avalanche box office at Municipal Field, where Murphy had been working, Salem Commonwealth's Attorney Fred King said.

Murphy told police that he had been upset with the Avalanche staff for racial remarks they had made, King said, reading a summary of the evidence.

On the way to his girlfriend's house, Murphy told police, he stopped at the Avalanche office. Using a pair of shears, he cut through Municipal Field's fence and used an ax to chop through the door.

Once inside, he rummaged through boxes and found more than $1,000 in cash.

A Florida Street resident heard the noise and called police. A brief foot chase and a car pursuit that topped 90 mph resulted.

The chase ended with Murphy running a red light at Virginia 419 and Boulevard and crashing into another vehicle. No one was injured.

Melvin Hill, Murphy's attorney, asked that Judge G.O. Clemens take the matter under advisement until a September sentencing hearing.

In an admittedly rare move, King argued against Hill's request.

"I've been getting calls from people saying that before school was out, [Murphy] was telling people that because he was an athlete, this charge would be dropped," King said.

Clemens granted Hill's request.

"I have taken several other cases under advisement today. The fact that I take it under advisement does not mean he won't be found guilty," Clemens said.

Clemens also granted Murphy permission to leave the state to attend college in August. Murphy has received a football scholarship to attend Concord College in Athens, W.Va.