Athens County man sentenced to 20 years to life for rapes

Joshua D. Murphy, 35 of Coolville, Ohio, was recently sentenced to a mandatory prison term of 20 years to life in the State Penal System, after being convicted of a total of 10 counts of first-degree felony rape.  

In March of 2023, law enforcement officers received information that a juvenile had reported being raped by Murphy. Through their investigation, it was discovered that Murphy had sexually assaulted the child on numerous occasions from the age of 9 to 14. The assaults ended after the victim moved out of the area.

This case was investigated by the Athens County Sheriff’s Office.

Prosecutor Keller J. Blackuburn stated that, “I am proud of law enforcement and Chief Assistant Athens County Prosecutor Liz Pepper for getting another sex offender off the streets.  A lot of time and effort is put into obtaining justice for the victims of such heinous crimes.”

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