A Morganton man will spend at least six years in prison for a conviction of robbery with a dangerous weapon and larceny of a motor vehicle on Thursday, March 7, 2019, during Burke County Superior Court.
Billy Earl Murphy, 43, was given an active prison term of six to eight years by the Honorable Robert C. Ervin, Superior Court Judge from Burke County, following his guilty plea.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
Investigators from the Burke County Sheriff’s Office responded to a robbery on February 4, 2017. The defendant was lying in wait and surprised the female victim with the attack as she walked to her vehicle. He knocked her to the ground, hit her in the head and held her at gunpoint.
Murphy tried to conceal his identity behind a mask and hood but was recognized by the victim. He fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. He was later located at a local convenience store in possession of the vehicle and items belonging to the victim.
Isaac Propst led the investigation for the Burke County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Michelle Lippert prosecuted the case for the State.
CONTACT: Nathan Key
Phone: 828-695-6193
Email: Nathan.D.Key@nccourts.org