Roy Murry is accused of killing his father-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law before setting their Washington state house on fire. (Facebook)
A 30-year-old decorated Iraq War veteran is accused of shooting three of his in-laws before setting fire to their Colbert, Washington home last week, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said.
Roy Murry was arrested Saturday after showing up voluntarily to be interviewed by detectives, the Spokesman Review reports.
Murry was charged in the deaths of 59-year-old Terry Canfield, 52-year-old Lisa Canfield and Lisa Canfield’s 23-year-old son, John Constable. They were found dead May 26 after a neighbor reported that their house and barn was on fire. Murry is married to Lisa Canfield’s daughter, Mandy Murry, the newspaper reports.
Murry was charged with three counts of premeditated murder and held on $2 million bail, according to the sheriff’s office.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. His Wife Had Recently Moved in With Her Mother & Was Planning to Divorce Him
Roy Murry, left, with his wife, Mandy Murry. (Facebook)
Police told the Spokesman Review that Roy Murry’s wife, Mandy, had recently moved into her mother’s home, and was planning to get a divorce. The couple had been having martial issues, police said. Mandy Murry was not home when the shootings occurred.
“It is our belief that he was up there waiting for her,” Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ozzie Knezovich told the newspaper.
Police said they believe Roy Murry shot the Canfields and Constable and then set fire to their house and barn to conceal the evidence. Terry Canfield was found in the barn, which was completely destroyed by the fire, while Lisa Canfield and her son were found inside the fire-damaged home.
According to KXLY, Murry blamed his wife’s family for her leaving him.
“Amanda said Roy would see the killing of the family as a loss of her security and love for the most important thing in her life,” according to court documents obtained by the news station.
2. Terry Canfield Was a Lieutenant in the Spokane Fire Department
Terry Canfield, left, and Lisa Canfield were fatally shot in their Washington state home. Their son-in-law, Roy Murry, is accused of killing them. Facebook
The Spokane Fire Department said Terry Canfield was a paramedic in the city for 28 years, and was a lieutenant in the department.
“He will be remembered as a brilliant paramedic with a very compassionate heart,” Spokane Mayor David Condon said in a statement. “He will be missed greatly by his family, friends, colleagues and others who had the good fortune to cross paths with him.”
Neighbors recalled Terry and Lisa as giving people.
“Terry and Lisa were a great couple,” neighbor Merrily Lowry told KREM. “We never saw anything that I could say negative, nothing. So we’re going to miss them a lot.”
John Constable. (Facebook)
John Constable was Lisa’s son from a previous marriage and the brother of Roy Murry’s wife.
3. Murry Earned a Bronze Star for Helping Save a ‘VIP’ His Unit Was Protecting in Iraq, Despite Being Wounded
Roy Murry. (Contributed photo/Spokane County Sheriff’s Office)
“Mr. Murry, by all accounts that people we’ve talked with, is a hero. He served with great valor in iraq and he was severely wounded in Iraq,” the sheriff’s department spokesman, Knezovich, told reporters at a press conference, according to the New York Daily News.
According to the Spokesman-Review, Murry earned the Bronze Star for valor as an Army National Guard sergeant in Iraq. He was severely injured in a bomb explosion while there.
His commander, Lt. Col. Thomas Heslin Jr., said Murry returned fire, despite being wounded, in a “complex ambush,” while playing a “critical role” in the escape of a “VIP” that his unit was protecting.
Murry’s wife told police, he “has been becoming increasingly delusional and suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from combat injuries he suffered in Iraq while serving in the U.S. Army,” according to KXLY.
Murry told investigators, “that he believed the Russian secret police, FSB, was involved in the murders.”
4. He Ran for State Senate in 2011 but Was Arrested on Gun Charges Shortly After Launching His Campaign
.@cmulvany: Roy H. Murry, of Lewiston was arrested & will face 3 counts of 1st-degree murder
http://t.co/IlllPryc21 http://t.co/UYLF88gyTN
Murry, who became involved in the Republican party locally after returning from Iraq, was nominated in 2011 to run for an open state senate seat. He was running a security company at the time.
But days after he was nominated as one of the candidates for the seat, Muryr was arrested in Las Vegas on a gun charge, the Spokesman-Review reported.
Police said Murry’s car was parked on the side of a road at a strange angle. Officer said he had tobacco juice drooling from his mouth and they had trouble waking him up. The officers said they found a semi-automatic handgun in his waistband, covered by his coat, two knives, two ammunition clips and loose rounds in his pocket. He also had body armor in the car.
Murry, who already had a previous conviction in Washington for possessing a switchblade knife, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and sleeping in public. The outcome of that case wasn’t immediately available.
5. He Also Was Accused of Bringing a Gun & Knife Into a Veterans Hospital
We’re told law enforcement is serving search warrants at triple murder suspect, Roy Murry’s home in Lewiston @kxly http://t.co/FMcAN1JCNQ
Murry was also arrested for allegedly carrying a loaded gun into a Walla Walla, Washington, veterans hospital, the Spokesman-Review reported.
The then 26-year-old Murry told his doctor he carries a firearm “24/7.” The hospital staff said they saw a “bulge” on Murry’s back and called police, and they found he had a 9mm handgun, that was loaded with a round in the chamber. He also was carrying a knife with a blade longer than 3 inches, the newspaper reported. He was indicted on charges of possession of a firearm in a federal facility and possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility, both misdemeanor charges.
The outcome of that case was also not immediately available.
