New York’s Highest Court Will Not Hear Appeal in Drunk Driving Death of Andrew McMorris

New York State’s  highest court will not hear an appeal in the case of a man convicted in the killing of Boy Scout Andrew McMorris. 

Dated October 6th 2023, Judge Michael J Garcia of the New York Court of Appeals, denied an application filed by Murphy's defense team seeking to have his conviction overturned after previously being denied by a lower appeals court. 

We feel relief that the verdict has been upheld and we have found Justice for Andrew and Troop 161. We hope this will end the criminal chapter of the case now that the state’s highest court affirmed the conviction.  

For our family, there is still an emptiness we feel each day. Andrew will never walk through the door again.  He will not graduate with his friends this coming June and there is a deafening silence that echoes from his empty room.  A loss felt not only by our family but his young friends who are coming of age now. A loss detailed in a song written by his close friend Carter Rubin Season 19 winner of the voice, “Plane Ticket to Heaven”.  

We cannot forget Andrew or any of the victims of these senseless preventable crimes. Every 39 minutes another person is killed by a Drunk Driver in the United States and that is the highest number since 2006 – the year Andrew was born. This Appellate decision has lifted an enormous weight from myself, John and our daughter Arianna and maybe now we can do the work necessary to try and heal this indelible scar. We will continue  to find ways to honor our sweet boys short life through the Andrew McMorris Foundation and MADD in order to change legislation so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.