She's accused of murdering her husband to be with her jailbird bf.
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Feb 13, 2019
Falling in love is an experience like no other on Earth. When you meet someone, and you click in that singular way it creates a flood of hormones that race through your body. If you've been in love, then you know the intense feelings these hormones can create inside of you. They are the reason that poets write love sonnets, and why singers croon ballads.
For the most part, these hormones, these chemical brains bubbles, are totally harmless. Very often, all they make you do is moon a little harder over your sweetie, fuss over which outfit to wear on the next hot date, and worst case scenario, maybe they make you mention your beloved's name a little too often when they aren't around.
But the chemical flood that happens when you fall in love isn't without its dark side, either. For some people, when two sets of eyes meet, it can lead to something much darker: obsession and desperation. William Shakespeare once said that the course of true love ne'er did run smooth, and he was right. But even he would be surprised at how far some people in love will go to get exactly what they want.
This was particularly true for 40-year-old Amy Murray of Missouri. The mother and prison nurse was recently arrested and charged with the murder of her husband, Josh Murray. While the case is still developing, the details making their way to the public leave very little room for doubt. Here's everything you need to know about who Amy Murray is, what she is believed to have done, why she did it, and what the future holds for this star-crossed lover and alleged murderer. Who is Amy Murray?
1. The Alleged Crime
On December 11th, 2018, Amy Murray contacted authorities from a local McDonald's where she sat with her child and the family dog. According to those records, Amy was calling because her house was on fire.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found Amy's 37-year-old husband Josh Murray, already dead.
Amy claimed he went up in the blaze and that she was now a tragic widow thanks to the misfortunes of fate. But the police weren't buying it, and it's easy to see why.
2. Police Suspicions
You see, when the police began to unpack Amy's story about the events that transpired on the night her husband perished, it didn't take them long to figure out that certain things weren't adding up.
Initially, suspicion was directed at Amy for two reasons: for fleeing the scene and waiting a long time to contact help, and because while she made efforts to rescue her child and dog, she made no apparent attempts to rescue her husband Josh, something she had no easy explanation for other than saying he was a very hard sleeper.
These red flags led the police to investigate the available forensics. According to the autopsy on Josh's body, he had not died from the effects of the fire. In fact, Josh was likely dead way before the fire ever started: they found significant amounts of antifreeze, a highly toxic but sweet chemical often used by prisoners because its flavor is easy to disguise.
Things weren't looking good for Amy, and as the authorities dug deeper into her life they soon made a discovery that would put her in a terrible light.
3. The Secret Boyfriend
You see, Amy, a prison nurse at Jefferson County Correctional Center in Jefferson County, Missouri, wasn't happily married.
In fact, she was known to be having an illicit relationship with one of the inmates in her care, Eugene Claypool, age 40.
Believe it or not, it was Amy who led the police to this discovery, by immediately speaking with Claypool using prison phones after she ended her husband's life and burned down her own home.
During this phone call, Amy is alleged to have told Eugene that her husband was dead and they could finally be together.
Eugene Claypool is not exactly an innocent party in all of this either. As a convicted felon, he has been in prison since 2002, after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery, and was given a life sentence. Claypool murdered an elderly lottery winner in an attempt to get access to their money.
He will be eligible for parole in 2027, after serving 25 years of his sentence. While he is not currently implicated in Amy's actions, it's not exactly a stretch of the imagination to suspect that he may have been a negative influence on the prison nurse and previously doting wife.
4. What's Next For Amy
After she was arrested last week, Amy was released from prison after paying out a $750,000 bond. Currently, she's being charged with first-degree murder, second-degree arson, tampering with physical evidence and armed criminal actions.
She is due to appear in court on February 12th, 2019 and while some suspect that she will take a plea deal, neither Amy nor her lawyers, nor the Missouri District Attorney have given any statements to indicate that this is the case.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cat, Batman. Her work focuses on relationships, pop culture and news. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.