Murphy named top assistant prosecutor

MANSFIELD - Jane Hanlin saw Cliff Murphy's courtroom expertise firsthand.

The Jefferson County prosecutor was impressed.

So impressed she sent a letter to the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association.

Murphy is Richland County's first assistant prosecutor. He, along with Prosecutor Bambi Couch Page and Assistant Prosecutor Lillian Shun, prosecuted Anthony Elmore, a prison inmate who plotted to have Hanlin's son kidnapped.

"I was most impressed with Mr. Murphy's mastery of the true way that the prisons in Ohio operate, his complete understanding of the endeavors undertaken by this convicted felon to ensure that his kidnapping plot would not be discovered and his relentless investigation that prohibited this defendant from succeeding in swaying the jury with any excuses or minimizing of his actions," Hanlin wrote.

Murphy was chosen as Ohio's assistant prosecutor of the year and recognized Thursday by the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association.

"It's a great, humbling honor to receive such an award for essentially doing your job," Murphy said.

Murphy was involved in the prosecution of several high-profile cases this year, including Mike Garn, Charles McCoy and Marcelluis Luckie and Christen Ramirez.

In the last two years, Murphy has taken 11 cases to trial and won 10 of them.

"I've tried some big cases this year," he said. "It's a privilege to do that for the citizens of Richland County."

Garn was a Mansfield police officer who ran afoul of the law and was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison in one of the biggest cases of 2016.

"Obviously, it's the public accountability," Murphy said. "Nobody's above the law."

He and Couch Page also tackled the case of Luckie and Ramirez, both convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.

The marathon trial lasted 17 days and extended into a fifth week.

A New Jersey native, Murphy went to law school at the University of Toledo, where he met his wife Theresa. After spending three years in private practice, Murphy became an assistant prosecutor in Crawford County.

He was promoted to first assistant prosecutor in 2000 and stayed in Crawford County until late 2012, when he came to Richland County.

Murphy has been Couch Page's trusted No. 2 since the spring of 2015.

"One of the things that I learned from (former Prosecutor) Jim Mayer is this is a team activity," he said. "This award is a reflection of the hard work of the prosecutor's staff.

"You don't do this job for the pay. You do this job because you want to help people through the worst times of their lives."

mcaudill@gannett.com

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Twitter: @MNJCaudill