Marblehead man gets 9 years for 2009 rape

LAWRENCE – A Marblehead man convicted of raping a 14-year-old teenager at Crocker Park after providing her and her girlfriend with liquor in 2009 was sentenced to 9 to 11 years in state prison.John Murphy, 24, formerly of 24 Mugford St., Marblehead, was found guilty earlier this month by a Lawrence Superior Court jury of two counts of rape of a child as well as two counts of furnishing alcohol to minors.Judge Richard E. Welch III also ordered Murphy to serve five years probation after his sentence, at which time he will have to register as a sex offender. He also ordered Murphy not to have unsupervised contact with children younger than 16, wear a GPS tracking device and refrain from all alcohol and drug use.Assistant District Attorney Karen H. Hopwood proved at trial that on June 12, 2009, the14 year old and her friend met up with Murphy, who was then 22, at the Gerry School playground.The victim and the girl persuaded Murphy to purchase alcohol for them, and they all ended up at Crocker Park, where Murphy raped the 14-year-old girl who was seriously intoxicated.At one point a couple heard yelling, walked over and saw the girl partially naked and Murphy.The teenager had to be hospitalized because of the amount of alcohol she had consumed.Hopwood asked for a 12- to 14-year state prison sentence.She read impact statements from the victim and their parents involved in the case.Defense lawyer Alex Cain in a telephone interview said he pleaded for leniency for Murphy, asking for four to seven years in prison.He said his client began smoking marijuana at age 14 and eventually graduated to “rave” drugs.