Appeals court upholds sex crime sentencing of Hancock County man

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. (WXXV)- The Mississippi Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a Hancock County man found guilty of trying to force two young girls to perform sexual acts during a camping trip at Buccaneer State Park back in 2012.

Judges affirmed Matthew Murphy’s 2023 convictions on two counts of attempted touching of a child for lustful purposes.

In his appeal, Murphy had challenged a jury instruction that said a sex-crime victim’s testimony alone can support a conviction if jurors believe it is true.

The appeals court ruled that instruction is supported by longstanding Mississippi case law and found no error in the trial, therefore upholding his original sentence of 20 years to serve behind bars without parole.