VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Nearly a year after a local Navy chief died after a dispute with another man, his family is applauding a recent development in his case, according to an online statement.
Court records show that on June 5, a grand jury indicted Joshua Robinson, the other man involved in the altercation, on one count of second-degree murder in connection to the death of 40-year-old U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Tyler Murphy.
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The said interaction happened on July 5, 2022, according to police. about the night Murphy died: Murphy, Robinson and a woman named Lindsey Chapman left CP Shuckers, a Virginia Beach bar. Shortly after, Murphy and Robinson got into a dispute.
During the dispute, Robinson .
Police say Robinson and Chapman took Murphy to Sentara Leigh Hospital. Murphy was later transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
According to court records Robinson was arrested for malicious wounding the day after the incident back in July of 2022 but those charges were nolle prosequi.
Prosecutors filed new charges and he was arrested on January 9th for manslaughter and hit and run. He was waiting for his trial that is scheduled for October of 2023. He was out on bond until June 12th when he was arrested again for second degree murder after he was indicted by a grand jury.
He is currently in the Virginia Beach jail being held without bond.
Chapman is facing two misdemeanor charges of accessory to a crime after the fact and obstruction of justice. Her trial is scheduled for August 8th.
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Murphy’s loved ones have been outspoken about his death, including his sister who claims that Robinson and Chapman schemed and committed criminal acts.
His sister, Kaitlyn Cutroni, last month that the family is still seeking answers about her brother’s death. In a published last month, she claims that Robinson and Chapman schemed to distance themselves from responsibility for Murphy’s death.
The petition also voices Cutroni’s frustrations with the fact that both Robinson and Chapman were “walking free” following Murphy’s death. Last month, attorneys told us that at the time, they were both out on bond.
In the petition, she calls upon officials to “rectify this situation by thoroughly investigating and holding these perpetrators accountable for their heinous acts.”
Robinson has since been taken into custody, according to court documents. He was booked into the Virginia Beach City Jail on Monday, June 12, a week after the grand jury’s indictment.
Cutroni on the Change.org petition, describing his arrest as “a victory for justice. And it is a victory for all of us who believe that no one is above the law.”
Robinson is charged with second-degree murder, and his trial is currently set for October 3. Chapman is still charged with accessory after the fact. Her trial is set for August 9.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
