A man accused of beating up his girlfriend and injuring her in a fit of jealousy last Dec. 27 pleaded guilty to charges on Tuesday afternoon and was slapped with a 36-day prison term.<\/p>\n
Tarell Darnell Murphy, 33, pleaded guilty to assault and battery (domestic violence) as part of a plea deal. He was sentenced to six months in prison, all suspended except for 36 days.<\/p>\n
Murphy was given credit for 36 days of time served. That means he is already out of jail. <\/p>\n
Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo placed Murphy on one year of probation and required him to pay $2,161 in restitution to the victim, $120 in probation fee, a $300 fine, and 25 in court costs.<\/p>\n
He was also ordered to complete 50 hours of community service or pay the equivalent fine and complete counseling with the Community Guidance Center or the Department of Veterans Affairs.<\/p>\n
The remaining charge of disturbing the peace against Murphy was dropped.<\/p>\n
According to assistant attorney general Jonathan Wilberscheid, Murphy strangled and choked his then-girlfriend at their house in central Garapan on Dec. 27, 2017.<\/p>\n
When three police officers responded to the incident at 5:58am last Dec. 27, the victim was limping and had a swollen and bruised cheek and scratch marks on the neck.<\/p>\n
She told police that she and Murphy got into an argument after she received picture messages from a co-worker on her cell phone.<\/p>\n
She said Murphy sat on her back, placed her in a rear-naked chokehold, and pulled her head so far back that she thought her neck was going to snap. <\/p>\n
She managed to run away and called her cousin for help.<\/p>\n
The victim was taken to the hospital where she was treated for injuries that included a sprained ankle, scratch marks\/bruising from the left shoulder to her collarbone, swelling and bruising on the right arm, and slight bruising on the shoulder.<\/p>\n
She said Murphy has been physically abusive since they got together in February 2017.<\/p>\n
In April 2017, the U.S. Marshals arrested Murphy based on an indictment filed in South Carolina for false statement.<\/p>\n
The U.S. District of Caroline issued an arrest warrant against Murphy on July 30, 2015 for failure to appear in court last July 21, 2015.<\/p>\n
Last April, the U.S. District Court for the NMI ordered the transfer of Murphy to the District of South Carolina. Murphy agreed to the voluntary removal.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear whether Murphy went to South Carolina then returned to Saipan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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