Mother, daughter take plea deals in death of disabled family member
TAMPA, Fla. - A woman accused of neglecting her disabled husband and watching him die will spend the next five years behind bars.
Last June, Tampa mother and inmate Lisa Kay Murphy and her daughter Amber Murphy were standing side by side wearing matching orange jumpsuits during a virtual court hearing from the Hillsborough County Jail.
The mother and daughter are co-defendants in the death of Amber's disabled father James Murphy.
Nine months ago, Lisa Kay Murphy, who was facing manslaughter charges, passed on a state offer of 15 years in prison.
In March, she was offered a chance to spend five years behind bars in exchange for pleading guilty to a reduced charge of neglect of an elderly or disabled person, and she decided to take it.
Amber Murphy also resolved her case.
She pled guilty to neglect of an elderly or disabled person in exchange for 580 days in the county jail and a withhold of adjudication, which means she is not convicted of the crime.
Suzie Lopez, who was the lead prosecutor at the time explained to the judge last June how Lisa Kay Murphy and her two daughters watched James Murphy die in July of 2018.
"Mrs. Murphy neglected her quadriplegic husband and that neglect was a direct cause of his death due to sepsis and bedsores," argued Lopez.
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Yet getting this case resolved has not been quick or easy.
Before agreeing to this plea deal, Lisa Murphy got cold feet and skipped town for weeks.
A warrant was issued for her arrest and eventually, she turned herself in.
Now she is doing time for what prosecutors say was the ultimate betrayal.
Lisa's other daughter, Shayla Murphy got a huge break after all charges were recently dropped against her.