NJ's First Lady At Women's March: I Was Once Sexually Assaulted

Tammy Murphy, wife of newly inaugurated NJ Gov. Phil Murphy, told the Morristown Women's March crowd on Saturday that she was once sexually assaulted.

The 52-year-old Murphy, a 1987 graduate of the University of Virginia, said the assault took place three decades ago when she was a college sophomore. She said she never told more than a few people, but decided that it was important to relay the story at the march.

"By speaking out, we can find our strength and ensure our lives are not defined by this experience, but that we define it," she said. The story was first reported and recorded on video (see below) by nj.com.

Murphy said the assault happened when she took a walkway that was slightly darker than the other. A man pulled himself on top of her and lifted her shirt up. "I started screaming," she said to the crowd of about 15,000. "I was screaming bloody murder but no one could hear me."

The assailant found a crabapple and "when he tried to put that in my mouth, I bit him as hard as I could," she to cheers.

Murphy ran to a fraternity house where the brothers were very helpful and called police. For some reason, however, the assailant never faced justice for that crime – for reasons she didn't explain. But he did go to jail eventually for another crime.

"Until today only a few heard my story," she said. "Now you all know."

YouTube video/photo from nj.com