Ex-command sergeant major accused of desertion amid CID probe into sex assault

MSG Clinton Murray (pictured when he was a CSM)

Jeff LPH 3 sends in this complex tale. Pictured is then-Command Sergeant Major Clinton Murray, when he was the senior enlisted advisor for the 3rd Squadton, 73rd Cavalry. This is an airborne squadron assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. He was CSM from 31 August, 2016.

CSM Murray didn’t make it very far before running afoul of the UCMJ. Army Times explains;

Murray was a decorated leader, with a Bronze Star Medal for valor and an Army Commendation Medal for valor. The 2017 deployment was his fifth combat tour, according to the ERB.

Eight months into the deployment, Murray came under investigation for alleged inappropriate relationships with two soldiers in his unit.

Following an investigation, Murray faced a slew of charges, including maltreatment of the private first class, a charge of sexually assaulting that same soldier, charges for trying to influence the investigation and a charge of fraternization with an officer.

Army Times does not publish the names of alleged sexual assault victims unless they have chosen to speak publicly. The junior enlisted soldier did not respond to inquiries, and the officer declined to comment.

The charges went to a four-day general court-martial in January 2020.

According to the trial results, the jury convicted Murray of an inappropriate relationship with the private first class, but he was acquitted of the sexual assault and maltreatment charges. Prosecutors withdrew the fraternization charge and the obstruction charges.

Murray was sentenced to a reduction in rank to master sergeant and a formal reprimand.

However, something happened during the trial that now has further sunk Murray into the criminal justice system.

During the trial, though, things took a strange turn: [An] officer approached prosecutors and claimed to have helped Murray destroy evidence of the sexual assault.

Charge sheets stated that “physical and forensic evidence” of alleged sexual misconduct was destroyed, but the documents did not elaborate.

In a sworn statement filed in federal court, Maj. Clifford Walters, the top prosecutor in the 82nd Airborne Division, said the officer “approached the Government and informed the trial team that [they] had personally assisted MSG Murray…in covering up evidence of the sexual assault and inappropriate relationship charges.”

Walters told the judge that the officer said “Murray asked her to destroy evidence supporting the allegations…[and the officer] admitted to having an adulterous relationship with [him].”

The officer told prosecutors that Murray had sexually assaulted her, as well.

The Army launched an investigation into the new allegations, and court records show Murray was notified of the new inquiry in early February 2020.

This has led to new charges;

A former command sergeant major at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, faces a second court-martial on sexual assault charges this October.

And this time, prosecutors say he obstructed justice by asking an officer — who he is now also charged with sexually assaulting — to destroy evidence ahead of his first court-martial, during which he was acquitted of sexually assaulting a private first class.

Clinton Murray, now a master sergeant, also faces desertion charges over a retirement that prosecutors say he obtained by forging paperwork. The faux retirement allowed him to leave the Army despite an ongoing CID investigation that ultimately led to new charges of sexual assault, extortion and fraternization.

Murray was convicted of an inappropriate relationship with the private in his first court-martial, leading to his relief and reduction in rank. But he was acquitted of the far more severe sexual assault charge.

Army Times reviewed publicly available court documents detailing Murray’s career and alleged misconduct. The documents became public when Murray sued the Army for revoking his retirement orders in July 2020, after prosecutors said he forged signatures on his discharge papers. A federal judge dismissed Murray’s suit two months later.

“We look forward to representing our client at his court-martial. He’s pled not guilty,” said John Hafemann, Murray’s lead defense attorney. “We can’t discuss the specifics of the case.”

Murray organized a GoFundMe for himself back in 2020. It was…not a rousing success. Which leads me to believe he might not have been terribly well liked. He got 5% of his goal. 

Category: Army, Blue Falcons, Crime, Dick Stepping, Guest Link