Ex-firefighter admits to carjacking, other crimes
Daniel Andrew Murphy, 39, of Fredericton, remanded again pending sentencing this fall for bizarre rampage from Fredericton to Salisbury last November
A Fredericton man admitted Tuesday to a bizarre series of crimes starting with a carjacking in Fredericton and leading police on a chase all the way to Salisbury last fall.
Daniel Andrew Murphy, 39, of Trailside Lane in Fredericton, appeared by telephone from jail in Fredericton provincial court.
Defence lawyer L.A. Henry said her client was changing his pleas to guilty on almost all of the charges against him, most of which stemmed from Nov. 2 events.
Murphy - a former Fredericton firefighter who was fired last fall and a one-time star pitcher for the Fredericton Royals - admitted to robbery by stealing a vehicle from Kevin Campbell by making threats of violence, an assault with a weapon (a tire punch) on Fredericton police officer Cpl. Chris Furlotte with a tire punch and obstruction of justice, offences he committed in Fredericton on the day in question.
He also pleaded guilty to robbing Holly Girouard by assaulting her with intent to steal, dangerous driving and driving while suspended, all in the Pepper Creek area; fleeing from police in Chipman; robbing Route 10 Gas and Convenience in Albright’s Corner of a bottle of Coca-Cola, three fireworks, a bottle of motor oil, a package of cigarettes and lighters while armed with a screwdriver; and resisting arrest in Salisbury; again, all on Nov. 2.
Furthermore, Murphy admitted to assaulting Brandon Peterson in Fredericton on Oct. 7.
Judge Cameron Gunn ordered the preparation of a pre-sentence report and victim-impact statements for consideration at Murphy’s sentencing hearing, which he scheduled for Oct. 13.
He remanded the offender again until that time.
Murphy had also faced a charge of stealing a vehicle belonging to Mikayla Dejong in Fredericton on Nov. 2, but prosecutor Jennifer Bueno asked the court to reserve that count until sentencing. It’s expected the Crown will withdraw that charge at that time.
The New Brunswick Court of Appeal has ruled that sentencing judges should impose prison terms of three to eight years for robbery offences, even for first-time offenders, barring exceptional circumstances. Given that Murphy is to be sentenced for multiple robberies, it’s highly likely that he’s facing a stint in federal prison, even after he gets credit for the nine months he’s spent on remand.
Cross-province chase
Police reported in a news release last fall that officers with two forces - the Fredericton Police Force and the RCMP - dealt with a volatile situation that began in the capital Nov. 2, led police to the Minto/Chipman area and then all the way to Salisbury near Moncton.
The RCMP reported the Fredericton Police Force advised that an offender - later identified as Murphy - had carjacked the driver of a van in traffic in the capital and sped off down route 10 toward Minto.
Information on social media established the van was a commercial vehicle owned by ServiceMaster, and it was outfitted with a tracking device.
RCMP officers tracked the van as a result to Minto and attempted to arrest Murphy there, but he fled in another stolen vehicle, the release said.
Murphy then led officers on a chase back on Route 10, then on Highway 2, heading east.
Police were able to halt the vehicle in Salisbury with a tire-deflation device, the RCMP reported, and Murphy was arrested at that time. He’s remained in custody ever since.
Henry asked the court in June to order a psychiatric assessment to determine if her client might be exempt from criminal responsibility due to a mental disorder at the time of the offences.
She filed documentation with the court indicating Murphy suffered from a variety of mental-health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Henry argued that after the City of Fredericton fired Murphy in September, his health benefits lapsed in October. That cut him off from the medications he was taking for his mental illnesses, she said, and the sudden cessation of his meds led to the events of Nov. 2.
However, the court also heard that the offender had serious addiction issues and was abusing street drugs in the time leading up to his Nov. 2 spree.
A report from the Restigouche Hospital Centre - a secure psychiatric facility in Campbellton where such forensic examinations are usually conducted in New Brunswick - found Murphy wasn’t exempt from criminal responsibility.
The defence accepted that finding, which set the stage for Murphy’s guilty pleas Tuesday.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.