Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Murphy was shot and killed by four youths robbing a restaurant on 13th Street in Greenwich Village. Sergeant Murphy rushed into the restaurant after hearing a woman scream. The youths opened fire hitting Sergeant Murphy several times and as they made their escape shot another officer twice in the shoulder. In November of 1938, all four suspects were apprehended after a member of their gang, serving a life sentence for several robberies, informed on them. All four were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Two had their sentences commuted to life. One was pardoned in 1970, and the other was eventually paroled. The other two were retried and convicted of manslaughter. One was sentenced to 5 to 10 years, and the other was sentenced to 7 to 15 years in prison. One of the suspects, convicted of manslaughter, became a member of the Genovese crime family after he was released from prison. In 1965 he vanished after he underbid the Gambino crime family for a trash removal contract with the Ford Motor Company in Mahwah, New Jersey. Sergeant Murphy was assigned to the 8th Precinct.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-NY-F4722F68- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
24 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant Murphy gave the New York City Police Department 24 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Murphy.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Timothy Murphy is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NY, 754 of 2,147 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 35.1% of this state's fallen. That is 19.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At New York City Police Department, 382 of 1237 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 30.9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Timothy Murphy's cause is highlighted.
How Timothy Murphy Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Timothy Murphy is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Timothy Murphy was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1,236 officers from New York City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
