Background: Jefferson City Correctional Center where Amy L. Murray was employed (Facebook). Inset: Amy L. Murray (Miller County Sheriff”s Office).
A Missouri woman who was previously employed as a prison nurse has entered into a plea agreement related to her husband’s poisoning death, following evidence of her involvement with an inmate.
On Wednesday, Amy L. Murray, 47, submitted an Alford plea to the charge of second-degree murder in the case of her husband, 37-year-old Joshua Murray. Joshua’s body was discovered amidst the charred ruins of their home in Iberia, Missouri, in December 2018. The medical examiner concluded that he had passed away before the fire occurred. As per a probable cause statement obtained by local CBS affiliate KRCG, Joshua’s death resulted from ethylene glycol poisoning, commonly known as antifreeze.
Authorities also determined that the fire was a result of arson.
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The probable cause statement revealed that Amy Murray was involved in an affair with an inmate at the Jefferson City Correctional Center, where she worked as a nurse.
Local NBC affiliate KYTV reported that investigators listened to phone calls between Amy Murray and the inmate, Eugene Claypool, who was convicted of second-degree murder in 2001 and is serving a life sentence. During those phone calls, which took place before the fire, Amy Murray reportedly expressed her desire to divorce her husband.
On Dec. 11, 2018, Amy Murray told police that she, her 11-year-old son, and the two family dogs had taken a trip to McDonald’s. When they returned home, the house was on fire. Amy Murray told police that she was not able to go inside the house because it was filled with smoke.
Joshua Murray’s body was found on the bed in the master bedroom.
After the fire, Amy Murray told Claypool that her husband was now “out of the picture,” and the two could now marry. KRCG reported that Amy Murray also proposed hiring Claypool an attorney so he could appeal to have his sentence reduced and potentially be released.
Amy Murray was originally charged with four felonies in connection with the death of her husband — first-degree murder, armed criminal action, second-degree arson, and tampering with physical evidence. She was also charged with first-degree sexual abuse and three counts of offender abuse by an employee of the Department of Corrections in connection with her affair with Claypool.
On Tuesday, Amy Murray accepted an Alford plea to one count of second-degree murder. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
