Woman Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter of Jeweler
July 21, 22
(IDEX Online) - A woman has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a jeweler in his hotel room in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Megan Hall, 28, was facing a count of second-degree murder, with a sentence of up to 25 years, over the death of Patrick J. Murphy, a married 62-year-old father-of-two.
Murphy had been visiting the city after attending a jewelry convention in Arizona, according to prosecutors.
He and his family have run Murphy Jewelers, in Pottsville, Pennsylvania (pictured) since 1913.
Murphy was stabbed once in the neck and twice in the abdomen at the Empress Hotel on Feb. 28, 2019, according to prosecutors. A housekeeper discovered his body in the morning.
Video surveillance cameras showed Murphy and Hall arriving at the hotel together at 2:10am. Hall was seen leaving the hotel room alone and briskly walking out the front door at 3:42am.
Hotel guests told police that they heard a struggle and a woman yelling around 3:30am.
Hall was arrested several days later after turning herself in to police. She was sentenced to 10 years, minus time served, at New Orleans Criminal Court.