Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr., today announced the guilty plea of TREVON MURPHY, 42, for stabbing three unhoused individuals, including one fatally, who were sleeping on benches outside in July 2022. MURPHY pleaded guilty to one count of Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree. Under the terms of the plea, MURPHY will be sentenced to 30 years-to-life in state prison, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. He is expected to be sentenced on February 28, 2024. 

“Trevon Murphy brutally murdered one unhoused individual and critically injured two others in a series of late-night attacks,” said Manhattan District Attorney Bragg. “Those who are unhoused already face extreme hardships and vulnerability, and their safety should not be in jeopardy.” 

According to court documents, video surveillance, statements made on the record, and as admitted in the defendant’s guilty plea, on July 5, 2022, MURPHY approached an individual sleeping on a bench inside of Hudson River Park at approximately 3:09 a.m. The victim reported to responding officers that he had been sleeping when he felt a sharp pain in his lower right abdomen and that he had seen a man running away from him. The victim died soon after being admitted to Bellevue Hospital. 

On July 9, 2022, the second victim was sleeping on a bench at the northeast corner of East 49th Street and Madison Avenue. At around 11:00 p.m., MURPHY approached the individual and sat on an opposite bench. MURPHY stared at the victim for approximately 20 minutes and then proceeded to stab the individual in the lower abdomen with a large knife before fleeing the scene. 

On July 11, 2022, the third victim was sleeping in a basketball court on 96th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. At approximately 3:33 a.m., MURPHY stabbed him in the abdomen with a knife. 

MURPHY later told officers that he chose the same target location on each victim, the lower abdomen, which he called the “stabber’s choice.” 

Assistant District Attorneys Shilpa Kalra and Kaitlyn Flatley handled the prosecution of the case, under the supervision of Trial Bureau 30 Deputy Chiefs Stuart Silberg and Shira Arnow, Erin Tierney (Chief of Trial Bureau 30) and Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division). Trial Preparation Assistants Leila Jiadi, Haley Feuerman and Andrea Jeng and Digital Evidence Analyst Susanna Maj assisted with the case. 

D.A. Bragg thanked Detective Oscar Diaz from Manhattan Homicide South, Detective Randy Rose from Manhattan Homicide North, Detective Rafael Perez from the 6th Precinct Detective Squad, Detective Jay Poggi from Midtown North Detective Squad and Detective Richard Natal from 23rd Precinct Detective Squad. 

Defendant Information: 

TREVON MURPHY 

Convicted: 

• Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
• Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a class B felony, two counts 

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