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California killer’s chilling courtroom message to victim’s family as he learns fate for dad’s brutal murder
Damien Murphy, 32, was sentenced to 32 years in state prison for fatally shooting William Carney in Fresno in October 2023. At sentencing, Murphy said he would not apologise because he was protecting his family, prompting the judge to criticise his lack of remorse.
Carney was 39 when he was shot at a petrol station and later died despite receiving medical care. Detectives said the shooting followed a confrontation between Carney and Murphy’s family, but authorities have not publicly explained the dispute. Murphy pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in September, avoiding a first-degree murder conviction; Carney’s daughter described the loss and the milestones her father would miss.
In short
- Damien Murphy received a 32-year prison sentence.
- He said he would not apologise for the shooting.
- Carney’s family spoke about their grief at sentencing.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Murphy’s statement that he was protecting his family offers the strongest case for viewing his actions as a response to a perceived threat, though the reported account does not explain what happened in the confrontation. His no-contest plea to voluntary manslaughter, rather than a first-degree murder conviction, also reflects a legal resolution that did not find him guilty of that more serious charge.
The case against
Carney’s family can argue that the shooting took a 39-year-old father’s life and deprived his daughter of years of shared milestones, while Murphy’s refusal to apologise compounds their loss. Whatever the preceding dispute, a confrontation does not by itself justify fatal violence, and the sentence and judge’s criticism reflect the gravity of the killing and the harm it caused.