Rapist Murphy knew land near crime well -- he attacked his wife's friend there
PAST: Brutal convict hunted in area

By Cormac Byrne and Cormac Murphy


Monday July 05 2010

LARRY Murphy knew the countryside where he brutally raped a Carlow businesswoman over several hours very well.

He was born and bred just on the outskirts of Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, and his keen interest in hunting took him over the lands where he committed the horrific crime.

His only remarks on the brutal, prolonged rape show his monstrous character saying coldly: "She was lucky."

Gardai investigating the disappearance of six women in the Leinster area, as part of Operation Trace, were extremely interested in Murphy and he continues to be the prime suspect in the disappearances of Jo Jo Dullard, Deirdre Jacob and Annie Carrick.

Murphy grew up in the village of Stratford, near Baltinglass. His main pastime was hunting, which gave him a knowledge of the terrain around Baltinglass and beyond.


sadistic

The sites where he raped the young business woman were familiar to him. His home turf was the Wicklow Mountains.

But Murphy's sadistic and frightening behaviour had begun much earlier. The first signs were revealed when he attacked his wife's best friend.

He was driving the woman home when she became concerned after he took her down a remote lane past her house and brought his Toyota Corolla to a stop.

"Suddenly, he grabbed me with both hands around the throat and pushed me down towards the front seat of the car.

She managed to escape but he caught up with her, grabbed her and said: "Please, please don't tell Mags."

In another disturbing episode, Murphy was in the Glen Lounge pub in Donard when he made a grab at a woman.

Her brother's best friend was Trevor Moody and some time later, when the woman was in Mr Moody's company, she pointed Murphy out to him -- he would remember the face.

The true depths of Murphy's evil was revealed on the night of February 11, 2000, when he attacked a 28-year-old Carlow businesswoman.

The woman was returning to her car when she noticed Murphy. Before she knew it, he had punched her, knocking her to the ground and breaking her nose. He then shoved her into her car and took her keys.

One experienced investigator, Detective Garda Mark Carroll, now retired, said that Murphy had moved at frightening speed to avoid detection.

"He moved like a rocket, took complete control and threw her into the car," he said. "You'd have to think it was planned and rehearsed, you'd have to ask, had he done it before?"

He moved her car 25ft to where he had left his Fiat hatchback car, transferred her to his car and, instead of using rope, that could be traced to him, he made her take off her bra, and bound her hands tight using it.

He flung her violently into the boot and began to drive. He drove the car to the isolated area of Kilkea in south Kildare. It was an area he knew well -- he had driven his wife's friend there four years earlier.


numb

He pulled her into the car and began to rape her violently. Murphy demanded that she kiss him during the ordeal.

"I felt so numb I couldn't move. I just hoped it would all end. I feared for my life all the time -- I thought this is it," she recalled.

After he had raped her he tied her hands around her back with her headband and gagged her with the bra, threw her in the boot and set off for another location.

He drove into Wicklow, to an area known as Spinan's Cross in the Glen of Imaal, he took his terrified captive from the boot.

"Make love to me," the attacker said before launching into a series of sexual attacks, raping her three times and forcing her to have anal and oral sex.

He placed her back in the boot where, after she managed to free her hands and make a failed attempt to escape, he got a plastic bag from the front of the car.

Murphy tried repeatedly to suffocate her and was using so much force the red print from the plastic bag was engrained on her skin and clothes.

Kenneth Jones and Trevor Moody were out fox hunting when they noticed the car. They managed to get a look at a man before he sped off.

Mr Moody had seen him before -- it was the same Larry Murphy that had grabbed his best friend's sister.

When the gardai came to Murphy's front door the next day, he knew why they were there and admitted everything.

hnews@herald.ie

- Cormac Byrne and Cormac Murphy