Plea Deal Eyed For Man Charged In DWI Crash, Boy Scout's Death

WADING RIVER, NY — A man charged with driving drunk and plowing his vehicle into a troop of Boy Scouts, killing 12-year old Andrew McMorris in September, could have a plea deal on the table, according to his attorney.

A crowd of Boy Scouts and loved ones filed in to Judge Fernando Camacho's courtroom in Central Islip Monday, where Thomas Murphy, 59, of Holbrook, who was charged and indicted in the case, was present with his attorney, Stephen McCarthy, Jr., of New York City, for a conference with Assistant District Attorney Jacob DeLauter and the judge.

McCarthy, Jr. confirmed Tuesday that a plea deal was being considered but did not comment further.

However, no plea was announced at the conference, and Alisa and John McMorris, Andrew's parents, along with the crowd who'd turned out in support, expressed frustration and anguish.

According to Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini, Murphy posted $500,000 bond shortly after his arraignment in October and has been out of custody ever since; he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on the indictment, Sini said.

Murphy was arraigned on a 16-count indictment in October — reports indicated that the man had been drinking since 9 a.m. and had been offered a ride home due to his level of intoxication, which he refused, according to Sini.

For his devastated parents, every day without their beloved boy, who would turn 13 soon, is agony — as are the court dates, said Alisa McMorris.

"Trying hard to parent Andrew's legacy amidst grief that is unimaginable," she said.

Impact statements for court, describing her son's beautiful life, are flooding in, she said. "Family and friends have begun writing the hardest letters they will ever write and I hope and pray they never have to write another like it. Reading the letters is very emotional — we can only read one or two at a time. The hardest ones by far are from his friends and Scout brothers and fathers. Thoughts of lost opportunities, seats still kept for him on the bus and at lunch, walking past his locker or hearing his favorite songs from Michael Jackson, tear holes in all of our hearts. The ripple effect of grief is like a tsunami of sorrow for so many. My husband, daughter and I are so grateful for the support— we need it now more than ever."

But those who loved him are working tirelessly to keep his legacy alive, McMorris said. "We are starting the Andrew McMorris Foundation and have plans to give out a scholarship in Andrew's name and use it as a platform along with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Students Against Drunk Driving to stop tragedies like this from ever happening again," she said.

Their daughter and other Shoreham-Wading River students have started a SADD chapter, she said. Some members of her daughter Arianna's Girl Scout Troop #763 are working on their Gold Awards in honor of Andrew — and Boy Scout Troop 161 members are working on their Eagle Projects, many that are in Andrew's name, as well.

The Boy Scouts of America's Suffolk County Council is working, along with Troop 161 and the McMorris family, to honor Andrew by raising money to build a new Adirondack Cabin at the Baiting Hollow Scout Camp and name it McMorris Lodge in honor of Andrew. To donate, call 631-924-7000 or click here.

In addition, a Scout from Andrew's troop is working on his Eagle Scout project, a memorial brick walkway, with bricks that can be purchased to honor Andrew, McMorris explained. The walkway will be sited near a tree dedicated in his memory.

After court Monday, McMorris described the unimaginable pain of life without their sweet boy.

"It is heartbreaking. We would just like justice to be served quickly," she said.

Of Murphy, McMorris said Andrew's "sweet friends have expressed anguish over the fact that he got to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family — and Andrew is just gone."

Her son, she said, "had this amazing way of bringing people together. At gatherings he was the entertainment and that was stolen from all of us. The pain is like claws in my heart and I think we have only just begun to feel what this journey without him will feel like. We have to move on with the consequences of his actions that took our child — he should have to move on with his consequences, as well."

However, she added: "We know the DA's office of working very hard on this case and we have faith that justice will be served."

Patch photo courtesy Alisa McMorris.