LOCKPORT — Niagara County District Attorney Brian D. Seaman announced that Howard J. Murphy was sentenced today to 2 1/3 to 7 years in State Prison by County Court Judge Caroline Wojtaszek for his conviction of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, as a Hate Crime. Murphy was previously convicted of vandalizing his neighbor’s fence with a racial slur inciting violence just 2 days after the mass shooting at Tops in Buffalo.
“This hate crime did serve to terrorize a family,” said Seaman. “It was traumatic to have that message of violence and hate delivered, just 2 days after a race motivated massacre. This family was in real fear that someone was going to target them for violence. The punishment in this case reflects the trauma that was experience by the victims.”
The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and the Town of Niagara Police Department investigated and quickly solved this case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Susan Bjornholm.
