Teen Gets 18 to Life for Hempstead Murder

By Timothy Bolger Posted on July 10, 2014

A 19-year-old Bronx man was sentenced Thursday to 18 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a 34-year-old Freeport man in Hempstead last year.

Jazz Murphy had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in May before Nassau County Judge Meryl Berkowitz.

Prosecutors said Murphy shot Leonard Thames once in the back and once in the head, killing him at the corner of Linden Avenue and Linden Place on the night of Jan. 13, 2013.

Murphy was arrested by Hempstead village police shortly later.

About the Author

Timothy Bolger

Timothy Bolger is the Editor in Chief of the Long Island Press who’s been working to uncover unreported stories since shortly after it launched in 2003. When he’s not editing, getting hassled by The Man or fielding cold calls to the newsroom, he covers crime, general interest and political news in addition to reporting longer, sometimes investigative features. He won’t be happy until everyone is as pissed off as he is about how screwed up Lawn Guyland is.