Jack Roland Murphy
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Jack Roland Murphy or Murph the Surf (born 1938 in Los Angeles, California) is a surfing champion, musician, author, artist and convicted murderer who was involved in the biggest jewel heist in American history at the American Museum of Natural History.
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[edit] Robbery
He was involved with a robbery on October 29, 1964, of the Star of India along with several other precious gems, including the Eagle Diamond and the de Long Ruby. This robbery was called the "Jewel Heist of the Century, the J.P. Morgan jewel collection from the display cases of New York's American Museum of Natural History.
Murphy had cased the museum earlier and discovered from a 17-year-old visitor that security was lax to non-existent. The burglar alarm system was non-operational, and a second story window in the jewel room was usually left open to aid in ventilation. The thieves climbed in through the window and discovered that the display case alarms were non-functional as well. The stolen jewels were valued at more than $400,000.
Murphy, along with two of his accomplices, Alan Kuhn and Roger Clark, was arrested two days later and received three-year sentences. The uninsured Star of India was recovered in a foot locker at a Miami bus station. Most of the other gems were also recovered, except the Eagle Diamond. Richard Duncan Pearson was also convicted. [1]
This daring jewel heist was immortalized in a 1975 movie, directed by Marvin Chomsky, called Murf the Surf. The movie starred Robert Conrad, Burt Young, and Don Stroud (as Murf).
[edit] Murder
In 1968, he was convicted of first-degree murder of a California secretary, one of two women whose bodies were found in Whiskey Creek near Hollywood, Florida, in 1967. He also was convicted of trying to rob a Miami Beach woman in 1968. He was sentenced to life in prison in Florida.
[edit] Post Prison
When Bill Glass, Roger Staubach and McCoy McLemore visited Florida State prison in 1974, as part of a Bill Glass Champions for Life weekend, Murphy was impressed with the message and love shown by these visitors, both world champion athletes and local businessmen. At that time Murphy had an earliest parole date of Nov. 2225, but the message and love shown that weekend changed his life, as he devoted his future time spent in prison to serving a Higher cause. His service in the chaplaincy program, leading Bible studies and mentoring other Christian men in prison led the Florida Parole Board to relase him "with lifetime monitoring" in 1986.
In 1986, Jack began going back into prisons and jails all over the U.S. as a platform guest with Bill Glass. In 1990, he was hired on staff with Bill Glass Champions for Life, and was instrumental in getting motorcycles, and bikers into jails and prisons, a partnership with the Christian Motorcyclists Association. Jack has also been a featured speaker for Kairos, Coalition of Prison Evangelists, Int'l Prison Ministries, Time for Freedom and Good News Jail & Prison Ministry. After visiting over 1,200 prisons, and recognizing the incredible change apparent in this man's life, the FL Parole Board terminated his "lifetime parole" in 2000.
Jack is now international director for Champions for Life, visitng prisons, jails, and youth detention facilities all over the world with a powerful and effective message of God's forgiveness and restoration.
[edit] Movie
- Murph the Surf (1975)
[edit] References
- ^ "Gem-Theft Figure is Found Guilty. Received Part of Ransom for the De Long Ruby.", Associated Press in New York Times, December 12, 1965. Retrieved on 2008-04-28. "Richard Duncan Pearson was found guilty today of having been involved in the ransoming of the 104-carat de Long Ruby, one of several gems stolen from the American Museum of Natural History in October, 1964."
