City of Ukiah Will Pay $250,000 Settlement to the Woman Former Sergeant Kevin Murray Allegedly Sexually Assaulted and Burglarized

Collage of Kevin Murray

Collage of Kevin Murray arrest photos and on the job photo.

Former Ukiah Police Sergeant Kevin Murray was accused of a litany of crimes spanning over eight years including burglary, sexual assault, possession of methamphetamine, forced oral copulation, and more. 

Murray was terminated by the City of Ukiah in January 2021 after the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint accusing Murray of burglary, sexual battery, possession of methamphetamine, and a violation of civil rights. These charges stem from his interactions with a woman at Ukiah’s Super 8 motel in late November 2020.

Now, over a year after these accusations emerged, the City of Ukiah has agreed to pay a $250,000 settlement to Kevin Murray’s victim.

Deputy City Manager Shannon Riley and Ukiah Police Department Chief Noble Waidelich confirmed a “conditional settlement has been reached pending” approval.” The conditional settlement came as a result of pending civil litigation the City of Ukiah was facing from Murray’s alleged victim.

Chief Waidelich made it clear that the settlement “admits no liability for the City or its employees” and emphasized that Murray “was separated from his employment for his off-duty activities.” 

Deputy Manager Riley pressed that the city “acted swiftly” after the charges that were filed against Murray emerged in January 2021. She also said that a “settlement is a settlement. It’s not an admission of guilt. It’s part of the legal process.”

This settlement is the second payout by the City of Ukiah for actions associated with Murray. Former Ukiah resident Christopher Rasku was awarded $1,050,000 in 2021 for an incident on October 18, 2018. A civil suit alleged Murray entered Rasku’s home unlawfully, knocking him unconscious, and proceeded to punch and kick him, causing broken ribs, a punctured lung, and nerve damage. The lawsuit asserted Murray wrote a falsified police report claiming Rasku started the encounter.

At this point, the actions of former Ukiah Police Sergeant Kevin Murray have amounted to approximately $1,300,000 in payouts.

Couple those payouts with the $211,000 awarded to Oscar Magdaleno, the Ukiah man who was tased and subdued via “distraction strikes” by UPD officers while in the middle of a drug-infused, psychotic episode.

Over the last two years, the City of Ukiah has had over $1.5 million dollars in settlements as a result of civilians claiming abuse by Ukiah Police officers.

Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster made it clear that a settlement of this nature would not affect the woman’s ability to testify in the criminal trial against Murray. “We’ll be ready to go forward with evidence when the courts are finally ready.” 

News of this $250,000 settlement emerged within days of Murray’s trial, originally set to begin this month on May 16 was vacated and rescheduled to begin on July 18, 2022.

DA Eyster told us the delay in the trial was not related to this settlement, but due to the courts being unable to summon “enough jurors to complete jury selection and impanel a jury.” DA Eyster said, “A murder trial had to be reset last week after two attempts for the same reason.” 

He asked the public to consider that “Jury service is a privilege not afforded citizens in many countries. Justice cannot move forward locally without having folks ready and willing to perform their civic duty by serving on juries and helping to resolve the significant backlog of criminal cases.”

Since the initial arrest of then Sergeant Kevin Murray, accusations of further crimes and inappropriate behaviors have emerged.

A civil suit filed by a female law enforcement officer who was once a member of the Ukiah Police Department described an incident in October 2013 that occurred while on an out-of-town training. The lawsuit asserts Murray insisted on escorting the woman to her hotel room where he proceeded to force himself upon her, fondle her breasts, and reveal his “erect penis” before she locked herself in the bathroom for refuge. 

The lawsuit claims that despite reporting Murray’s inappropriate behaviors, the command staff failed to respond and enabled a work culture of discrimination and retaliation. She eventually  stopped working for UPD in November 2020, the same month when Murray allegedly burglarized and sexually assaulted a woman at Ukiah’s Super 8 Motel.

After Murray was charged for his alleged behavior at the Ukiah Motel in November 2020, new accusations of sexual indiscretions emerged in the form of another criminal complaint that asserted he committed rape and forced oral copulation in 2014.

Murray, out on bail for his growing list of criminal accusations, was cited by the Lakeport Police Department who accused him of stealing a woman’s wallet from a Lakeport grocery store in November 2021. Prosecutors attempted to use this charge to justify the revocation of his bail, but their request was denied. 

Despite this laundry list, please note that none of the criminal wrongdoings described have been proven true by a court of law.

Earlier:

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47 Comments
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NoGovernment
Guest
NoGovernment
1 year ago

crooked cop (ex) cop

Righteous Thorn
Guest
Righteous Thorn
1 year ago
Reply to  NoGovernment

Now he is in the ex cop mob. He still will be a sadistic criminal. His network will help him rob people. They cover it up with “informant payouts”. Needs to be investigated.

Country Joe
Member
1 year ago

When he arrives in state prison he’ll be housed in Protective Custody, for being a former peace officer. He’ll receive a long sentence and could always be shanked in prison.

Permanently on Monitoring
Guest
Permanently on Monitoring
1 year ago

Ukiah.

Permanently on Monitoring
Guest
Permanently on Monitoring
1 year ago

If he was a little more corrupt, abusive, unfit to serve, and plain defective, by now he would have been CEO of the County…

Probably working in Lakeport now.

Charlie
Guest
Charlie
1 year ago

Bet she will buy a lot of fentynal with that money.

Xebeche
Guest
Xebeche
1 year ago
Reply to  Charlie

What is wrong with you?

Righteous Thorn
Guest
Righteous Thorn
1 year ago
Reply to  Xebeche

It’s hard to stop using. I stopped seven years ago. Never will I eat a pill again.

Guest
Guest
Guest
1 year ago

Respect.

Xebeche
Guest
Xebeche
1 year ago

She was a cop, not an addict. Damn. Read the story.

Farce
Guest
Farce
1 year ago

Umm…so he was doing stuff like this for EIGHT YEARS?!! Other guys on the force must have known. They must have. Who are they? Why did they allow him to do these things? I want to know more about the policemen who allow this to happen…You may always have a sick asshole pop up but it’s the people who know yet enable it that makes for a sick culture. That culture must be brought to light and extinguished. Who else knew?! Why didn’t they report anything?!!

Guest
Guest
Guest
1 year ago
Reply to  Farce

Why did they allow it?

Hmmm…

Maybe in order to shift the scrutiny off of, and away from, themselves?

The radar starts pinging at a higher elevation, by letting a colleague like that run amok…

That allows a lot of other ‘lower level’ LEO mischief, (🤔🧐 you know, like jaywalking😉😁), with the rest of the force, to fly under the radar, so to speak…

Plus, it builds departmental trust…

That way, they all know, that there are no “rats”, amongst themselves…

That helps them all, to sleep at night…

No worries.

Don T MattaD
Member
Don T Matta
1 year ago
Reply to  Farce

“Why didn’t they report anything?!!” You’ve never heard of “The Thin Blue Line??? Cops stick together, sadly, even in cases like this!!!!


Last edited 1 year ago
Country Joe
Member
1 year ago
Reply to  Don T Matta

Incorrect…

crap
Guest
crap
1 year ago
Reply to  Farce

The problem is there are so many bullshit accusations against cops when you get one that is a shit bag no one believes the complaints. Nothing worse than a bad cop but sifting through the BS and finding the real issues is like finding a needle in a haystack most of the time.

People love to talk shit about things they have no idea about. Add that criminals assume all cops are dirty because if they were a cop that is what they would do, so they assume cops are the same way.

Farce
Guest
Farce
1 year ago
Reply to  crap

Thanks for this response. I have a few cops in my extended family and they are all good, ethical people. Exactly who you want as cops. Which is why it’s very important to end the culture of cops covering for bad cops because of station pressure or a bad culture from the top. Because our good cops are getting hurt by it also…and yes they do exist.

Nooo
Guest
Nooo
1 year ago
Reply to  Farce

They do it to cope with the BS in the first place. If there were less BS about police, there would be less need- maybe no need- for that culture at all. The first time all police are lumped together in tirades, of course the innocent close ranks with the not innocent because they know what “all” means and how that works.

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
1 year ago
Reply to  Farce

There is or was a “never snitch” culture in the police community. Even if the public is endangered. Sometimes happens in the medical community. If memory serves, Dave Gundersen, “Dave the Fave” last Police Chief of Blue Lake ‘cause he destroyed the Blue Lake Police Dept. was a good example. Started out as Trinidad police chief where he was well-known as a creep. Nobody said shit. Off he goes to Blue Lake where guns and weed were dealt out of the evidence locker, etc. trial report in Oct, 2, NCJ, 2008. Great caricature of the visitation room erotic scene from “Midnight Express.” If you can find it.

Never snitch, screw the public. Gets expensive.

Farce
Guest
Farce
1 year ago

Here’s a link to a different pos police officer. In Colorado he got 5 years for beating up an old and senile woman. https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Ex-officer-sentenced-to-5-years-for-73-year-old-17153716.php
Will Mendocino County or California for that matter give this Ukiah pos police officer a decent sentence if found guilty? I’m thinking for multiple rapes he deserves 20 years if not capital punishment…but I’m predicting he will get not much at all. I do think that committing violent criminal acts under the color of law deserves harsher sentencing than when done by civilians and that is the only way we will change the code of covering for their organization’s criminal elements.

Bill
Guest
Bill
1 year ago

After Murray was charged for his alleged behavior at the Ukiah Motel in November 2020, new accusations of sexual indiscretions emerged in the form of another criminal complaint that asserted he committed rape and forced oral copulation in 2014.

Sexual indiscretions?
Discretion has nothing to do with it!
You’ve already established your journalistic neutrality and protected yourself from libel with “alleged”.
I would like to see assault substitute indiscretions.
(End edit/outrage)

It just stuck in my craw.

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
1 year ago
Reply to  Bill

That why the word INdiscretion exists. Because discretion has nothing to do with it. Like justice and injustice. It’s definitely a mess.

Don T MattaD
Member
Don T Matta
1 year ago

Nothing says GUILTY, like your former employer paying off a Civil Suit!!! “She also said that a “settlement is a settlement. It’s not an admission of guilt. It’s part of the legal process.” Total Lawyer Double Speak if I never read any before!!!

North westCertain license plate out of thousands c
Guest
North westCertain license plate out of thousands c
1 year ago
Reply to  Don T Matta

What a cool job. Do what you want for as long as you can then have someone else pay for it. It’s a win win.

crap
Guest
crap
1 year ago
Reply to  Don T Matta

Many times it is cheaper to pay out then to fight the case even if you win so the payout with not admission of guilt. Very very common. Don’t read to much into it.

Saying that looks like this guy is guilty and if he is found guilty at trial he should NEVER EVER get out of prison. Go straight to general population. Ex cop sex offender would probably not have many friends on either side of the bars. Well that is to bad screw him.

Bill
Guest
Bill
1 year ago

Another point/idea.

When I contracted with governments, I was required to carry liability insurance holding the government harmless in the event of a lawsuit as the result of my actions, from 1 to 10 million dollars.
Maybe that clause should be written into police officer employment contracts.

Xebeche
Guest
Xebeche
1 year ago
Reply to  Bill

What a great idea

crap
Guest
crap
1 year ago
Reply to  Bill

Great idea. Who would you get to be law enforcement? We would have none. Now I am good with that because me and my friends would clear out the local drug dealers and dirt bags with zero fear of being arrested. Think of it as a urban renewal project.

Tweekers forget that the cops protect them from vigilante groups. Then again criminals do not think long term and second and third order of effects or they would not do what they do.

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
1 year ago
Reply to  Bill

Eric Kirk says the County will have to pay for the attorney to defend Karen Paz Dominguez in the lawsuit filed against her AND Humboldt County over her alleged failures as Auditor-Controller. Expenses are mounting with the A-C. Regular pay and benefits, over $300,000 to outside firm, fines from the State, etc.

Righteous Thorn
Guest
Righteous Thorn
1 year ago

It is systemic abuse. Go through the tapes and fire all of them. Then fire the Fortuna fbi. Then fire Humboldt Then fire yurok federal cop. The only way to help the police is to use the rnm technology.

Righteous Thorn
Guest
Righteous Thorn
1 year ago

There are police in Sacramento that oversee the entire meth operation.

gerard mannering
Guest
gerard mannering
1 year ago

thank god somebody is in Control !! keeping the price
user friendly….

Nooo
Guest
Nooo
1 year ago

Get rid of the meth addicts and that problem disappears.

gerard mannering
Guest
gerard mannering
1 year ago

Wot a Rip-Off !! That was a Million Dollar Case – she should of hired a real lawyer

thetallone
Guest
thetallone
1 year ago

Sometimes a cop is just a pig. And a pig belongs in a pen.

Guest
Guest
Guest
1 year ago

Ah, you still wondering where Mendocino “”Covid relief funds”” went?

Nooo
Guest
Nooo
1 year ago

There is something deeply wrong with a judicial system that allows “settlement” of criminal action, especially when officers or officials are involved, outside of an actual hearing. It is so attractive because the courts save money, the government save money, the participants save money because the procedures and rules involved are more expensive than resolving an issue. At the end, the public doesn’t know what happened and any problems are not resolved. As always, the lawyers make money and generally are not interested in anything else. In the end, the plaintiffs could be crooks, the accused could be crooks or all could be crooks but they all walk away with public funds.

There should be a more realistic system of laws that recognizes that there mostly is no black and white guilt or innocence and the courts should not pass out money based on the idea. Money should be apportioned out according to responsibility and lawyers paid a flat fee so they don’t gain by dragging the issues on or exaggerating their cases. And never should lawyer be paid based on their nuisance value. In fact, if they encourage or exaggerate the issue, they should be professionally liable to the public.

Xebeche
Guest
Xebeche
1 year ago
Reply to  Nooo

There is a pending criminal trial. Which you would know if you ACTUALLY READ THE STORY

North westCertain license plate out of thousands c
Guest
North westCertain license plate out of thousands c
1 year ago
Reply to  Xebeche

Not after her case is filed They seal all of the paperwork after a settlement.
Don’t they?

Nooo
Guest
Nooo
1 year ago
Reply to  Xebeche

The point being that no court examined the case and rendered a verdict. Which you would know IF YOU ACTUALLY READ THE COMMENT. Or IF YOU ACTUALLY READ THE STORY YOURSELF to the part that says “none of the criminal wrongdoings described have been proven true by a court of law.”

Non-fiction
Guest
Non-fiction
1 year ago
Reply to  Nooo

The settlement is for a Civil Case.
It is not related to the Criminal Case.
2 entirely different legal mechanisms.

Nelson
Guest
Nelson
1 year ago

SGT Murray illustrates some of the same criminal characteristics as Joseph James Deangelo (aka: Golden State Killer).

justsayin
Guest
justsayin
1 year ago

I saw a story about someone who worked at a liquor store murdering women for 3 years until he was caught. What I want to know is why didn’t fellow liquor store employees report this earlier. These liquor store employees are out of control, it’s called ” the thick brown line” we must hold all the liquor store employees accountable accountable for what this person did. Let’s not even get started on politicians!

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
1 year ago
Reply to  justsayin

Law enforcement is a different line of work than clerking in a liquor store. Liquor store employees don’t apprehend suspects and then stand around while one rogue cops chokes the life out of George Floyd for nine minutes. Cops know what’s going on.

Tiny, little bit different than clerking in a liquor store.

BTW, I support and respect honest, self-sacrificing LEO’s and stand ready to defend them. But they can’t tolerate misfits in their ranks. Hurts us all.

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
1 year ago

I like the picture of Sergeant Murray with the K-9 officer. The dog’s caption: You’re supposed to be the brains of the outfit.

BigRick
Guest
BigRick
1 year ago

Damn a million 3?

Better sell the armored personnel carrier! 😂

Country Joe
Member
1 year ago

Justice has prevailed…

ABA
Guest
ABA
1 year ago

So, who is in charge of hiring, training, and supervising for the Ukiah Police Department? Will they be receiving an invoice for all this? An investigation? Anything? Rotten to the core.