A Milton-Freewater man was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to armed robbery in Umatilla County.
Christopher Nathaniel Murphy, 26, was sentenced to 70 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to committing an armed robbery at the First Stop Mart on Highway 11 in north Umatilla County, late on the evening of July 10, 2014.
The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene along with officers from the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office, Milton Freewater Police Department and the Walla Walla Police Department.
Umatilla County Sheriff’s deputies conducted the initial investigation and gathered evidence, including DNA samples from clothing that the suspect left behind a short distance away from the crime scene. That evidence was sent to the OSP crime lab. In March of this year, the crime lab reported that found Murphy’s DNA on the clothing. UCSO detectives confirmed the DNA match by collecting samples from Murphy, who was incarcerated in the Umatilla County Jail on other matters.
A short time later, he was formerly charged with second-degree robbery, menacing, and second-degree theft. The Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office handled the prosecution. In addition to his prison sentence, Murphy was ordered to pay restitution to the victim and will serve three years of post-prison supervision.
