Stephen Murphy, a former staff member at a New Hampshire youth detention center, faced trial on charges of raping a 14-year-old boy in 1998, but the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict, resulting in a mistrial. This marks the second mistrial related to abuse accusations at state-run youth facilities. While the Attorney General's office expressed disappointment, they reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing justice efforts as Murphy still faces 15 additional charges involving other alleged victims. His case has drawn attention to long-standing issues of abuse at the facility, now called the Sununu Youth Services Center.
"We are obviously disappointed that the jury could not reach a unanimous decision in this case," Attorney General John Formella's office said in a statement. "However, we respect the legal process and the careful deliberation of the jurors. We remain committed to seeking justice for all victims and holding all of the perpetrators accountable."
Jurors first indicated they were at an impasse Wednesday morning, their second day of deliberations. This indicates the challenging nature of the evidence presented at trial.
In the current case, Murphy was charged with aggravated felonious sexual assault and accused of helping to carry a 14-year-old boy to a stairwell at the Youth Development Center in Manchester and then raping him while coworkers restrained the teen.
It was the arrest of Murphy and another former youth counselor in 2019 that thrust allegations of widespread abuse at the facility, now called the Sununu Youth Services Center, into public view.
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