A jury has acquitted a former youth detention centre worker of three sexual assault charges, but failed to reach a verdict on five others. Stephen Murphy, 56, of Danvers, Massachusetts, was one of the first men charged with abusing children at New Hampshire's state-run Youth Development Center in Manchester during the 1990s.
The trial was the second for Murphy, whose first trial ended in a mistrial in January. He still faces charges related to two other former residents of the facility, now called the Sununu Youth Services Center. Prosecutors could retry him on the five charges on which no verdict was returned.
Defence attorney Charles Keefe said in a statement: 'Although we believe that a finding of not guilty on all charges was reflected by the evidence, we will be prepared to fight the remaining charges again in the future should the state seek to continue its prosecution of Stephen in this case. Stephen is happy to go home to his wife and daughter, and he is incredibly grateful for the support of his friends, family and community at large through this process.'
Murphy was charged with eight counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, alleging he forced or coerced David Meehan into performing sexual acts in 1997 and 1998. Murphy, who later worked as a clubhouse attendant for the Boston Red Sox, denied the allegations, calling them 'completely false accusations'.
The scandal has expanded to include an unprecedented criminal investigation, nine additional arrests, over 1,100 lawsuits, and the establishment of a settlement fund to compensate victims. In other criminal cases, three men have been convicted, one was acquitted, and charges were dropped or resulted in mistrials for others.
