Larry Murphy is an Irish convicted rapist and a suspected serial killer. A skilled carpenter by trade, he is a married father of two originally from the Baltinglass area, County Wicklow, Ireland. In 2001, he was convicted of kidnapping, repeatedly raping and attempting to murder a young Carlow woman in the Wicklow Mountains. ^[1]

During the ordeal, Murphy kidnapped the woman and locked her in the boot of his car. He then drove to Kilkea in County Kildare, where he repeatedly raped and beat her. She was then locked in the boot again while he drove to the Spinans Cross in the Wicklow Mountains where he again raped her several times vaginally, anally and orally. ^[2] The woman began to fight back and Murphy produced a plastic bag, which he placed over her head in an attempt to suffocate her. He stopped his assault when two late-night hunters came across the scene and recognised Murphy. Murphy fled the area and returned to his home. ^[3]

The hunters then escorted the terrified woman to the police station in Baltinglass, where they identified Murphy as her attacker. Murphy was arrested the next morning when members of the Garda Síochána (the Irish police force) came to his home. He knew why they were there and admitted everything. Murphy was later tried and convicted of rape and attempted murder. He was released on 12 August 2010 after serving ten years. His release caused a public outcry, particularly as he had refused treatment while in prison and never demonstrated any remorse. Murphy's suspected involvement in some of Ireland's most famous missing persons cases also contributed to the controversy. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}

During questioning about the woman's injuries, it was reported that Murphy commented: "Well, she's alive isn't she?", calmly stated that "she was lucky", ^[8] and showed no sign of remorse or guilt. ^[9] Judge Carney sentenced Murphy to fifteen years (taking into account Murphy's guilty plea which spared his victim having to testify in court) and served ten. However, Murphy was sentenced before the Sex Offenders Act was introduced in 2001 so he is not subject to post-release supervision order.

Although only convicted of this crime, Murphy is regarded as being the prime suspect in the disappearance of a number of young women in the mid to late 1990s in the Leinster area, when Murphy was known to be living in the region. These women have become known in popular parlance having disappeared within " Ireland's Vanishing Triangle". The list of Ireland's vanished women include:

1. Eva Brennan, (1993)
2. Annie McCarrick, (1993)
3. Jo-Jo Dollard, (1995)
4. Fiona Pender, (1996)
5. Fiona Sinnott, (1998)
6. Ciara Breen, (1998)
7. Deirdre Jacob, (1998)

No other such disappearances occurred while Murphy was in prison.

In particular Murphy is suspected of being responsible for the disappearances of Annie McCarrick, Jo-Jo Dollard and Deirdre Jacob, all of whom vanished close to the area where Murphy lived at the time. The bodies of these individuals have never been found despite massive searches and investigations for over 10 years. Despite intensive questioning by Gardaí (Irish police), Murphy denies any knowledge or involvement in the disappearance of these women.

He's only an ould PURVURT

In the period after Murphy's release, there developed what sometimes approached mass hysteria surrounding the whereabouts of Murphy. This was usually, in part, driven by rumours initiated via social networking sites that Larry Murphy was living in or visiting a particular town or locality. ^[10] There exist a number of dedicated social networking web pages that regularly post information on alleged "sightings". Such sites have come under criticism as many of the claims therein are frequently of an inflammatory and alarmist nature, posted specifically to create and fuel mass hysteria and fear among the communities where Murphy has been alleged to reside. ^{[11] [12] [13]} The "sightings" alleged often occur in rural villages and towns and have sometimes resulted in mild panic, in one case resulting in an arson attack on the premises where Murphy was alleged to have been staying. ^[14] In other cases, the alleged sightings have been a result of individuals who bear a resemblance to Larry Murphy being mistakenly identified as him. Such an incident happened where he was alleged to have been resident at a popular country lodge hotel in the Glen of Aherlow, Co. South Tipperary. ^[15] Such alleged "sightings" frequently appear in the media and when they do so appear, the Gardaí often release statements to the contrary and reassure the public that the authorities are fully aware of the man's true whereabouts. Despite such efforts to allay fears, such allegations continue to regularly appear. ^[12]

While Murphy was said by his brother Thomas to be a quiet individual who felt uneasy about being in the limelight, Murphy has been the subject of a number of interviews from the media.

In January 2011, Murphy was the subject of an interview by the Irish Observer, an Irish current affairs and news blog. During the interview he was questioned about his regrets and whether he thought his punishment was severe enough. Murphy seemed very calm and confident during the interview and pointed out that he had served the sentence which was decided by his peers. ^[16]

On 28 November 2012, a 60-minute exclusive episode of TV3's prime-time Midweek program focusing on Larry Murphy aired. The show featured a rare interview in which Murphy was questioned by reporter Paul Williams regarding his conviction, his time in prison and his alleged links to the other cases of missing women. Murphy again denied any suggestion of his involvement and said that if the Gardaí had any evidence to connect him with the cases, he would already have been charged. Some members of the public criticised TV3 and the media for airing what have been labelled as "tabloid, shock value" "documentaries", which only served to propagate public hysteria and fear mongering. ^{[17] [18]}

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