Boston police officer suspended after alleged domestic violence incident over Christmas gifts
A Boston police officer who allegedly got into an altercation with his fiancee over gifts that led to his arrest early Christmas morning has been directed to surrender his law enforcement credentials.
The state Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission has suspended Terrence Murray’s law enforcement certification after it said it had received “sufficient evidence” of the 31-year-old officer’s role in the alleged disturbance at his home in Hull.
Murray, who has worked for Boston Police for four years, has also been ordered to hand in any department-issued equipment such as his uniform, firearm, assigned cruiser, and use-of-force instruments.
The scuffle prompted authorities to respond to Murray’s residence before 6 a.m. that day after he got home from an overnight shift. After he arrived, his fiancee asked him to help wrap gifts — a request that did not sit well with him.
Murray allegedly proceeded to throw one of the gifts across the room, push his fiancee, and punch a hole in a door, according to court documents. The drama unfolded with children allegedly asleep at the home.
By the time police responded to the home, Murray had left, and his fiancee declined medical treatment but told officers that her partner had grown “increasingly angry and emotional,” a police report states.
Authorities arrested Murray around 11 a.m., and investigators found ammunition, Murray’s police uniform and a loaded and unlocked BPD-issued Glock inside a vehicle he shared with his fiance, the report adds.
A lock box filled with over three dozen doses of Anavar and four milliliters of testosterone had also been discovered inside the vehicle.
The day after Christmas, Murray pleaded not guilty to domestic violence and steroid charges during his arraignment at Hingham District Court. A judge set a $5,000 bond and prohibited the officer from possessing a firearm.
Police charged Murray with one count of assault and battery on a family or household member, one count of improper storage of a firearm, one count of vandalizing property, and two counts of possessing steroids and testosterone.
Murray is due back in court in early February.