Former Alaska cop convicted of assault after lying about vehicle attack, according to state

BETHEL, Alaska (KTUU) – A former Bethel police officer has been convicted of assault and related charges after a jury concluded he used excessive force against a man during a 2023 traffic stop, and then provided false information about the encounter.

Jonathan Murphy, 39, was found guilty of fourth-degree assault, providing false information implicating another in a crime, and second degree tampering with evidence last week following a six day trial.

The charges stem from a Dec. 23, 2023 incident in Bethel, where Murphy, then an officer with the Bethel Police Department, assisted in a traffic stop involving a report of a stolen vehicle. Body-worn camera footage showed Murphy and another officer approach the driver and order him to raise his hands, which the driver did, according to the Alaska Department of Law.

Prosecutors said Murphy then attempted to forcibly remove the driver from the vehicle and struck him in the face. The victim drove away.

Murphy later radioed to the other officer, claiming the driver had attempted to hit him with the vehicle, according to the Department of Law.

After a short pursuit, officers forced the driver’s vehicle into a snowbank. Murphy and other officers surrounded the vehicle, broke its windows, deployed pepper spray and used tasers. Video showed the driver retreating into his vehicle and attempting to remove taser wires while curling into a defensive position, according to the state.

During the encounter, Murphy grabbed the victim through the driver’s window and repeatedly punched him in the head. Body-camera footage showed Murphy striking the driver more than 20 times in rapid succession, according to the Department of Law.

Prosecutors said Murphy later reported that the driver had struck him with the vehicle and implied he had been dragged by it. Investigators said the video did not show the driver attempting to hit Murphy or any part of the vehicle striking him.

Murphy resigned from the Bethel Police Department at the start of the investigation in 2024. He later worked briefly with the Sitka Police Department and currently serves as police chief in Diamond City, Arkansas, according to the Department of Law.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 19. Murphy faces a maximum of three years in confinement.

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