Armed Bank Robber Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison

Defendant Robbed Prosperity Bank in Sachse in June 2010

DALLAS—Tracy Lyn Murphy, 50, of Sachse, Texas, has been sentenced to serve a total of 120 months in federal prison for committing the armed robbery of the Prosperity Bank in Sachse on June 15, 2010. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.

According to documents filed in the case and testimony presented at Murphy’s sentencing hearing, during the robbery, Murphy, wearing gloves, a hat and a mask, used a bank customer as a hostage by putting his loaded handgun into the hostage’s ribs and walking him up to the counter where he told the teller to give Murphy the money. As one of the bank’s officers approached Murphy, Murphy turned and pointed the gun at him. The hostage then immediately grabbed Murphy’s hand holding the gun, but Murphy threw him down to the ground and ran out of the bank. The hostage, a heart patient, suffered extensive bruising a result of the encounter.

Officers and detectives with the Sachse and Garland Police Departments, with the assistance of the Department of Public Safety, the FBI and the Garland Police Department’s Canine Unit, tracked Murphy into a wooded area. When Murphy didn't respond to warnings or commands to show his hands, Boomer, the police dog, at his handler’s command, neutralized Murphy by biting him repeatedly on his legs. Officers then recovered the mask, hat, gloves, shirt, bag of money and the loaded Walther, .22 caliber pistol Murphy used to rob the bank.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Tourje.