Jack Roland Murphy

Jack Roland Murphy or "Murph the Surf" (or "Murf the Surf") (May 26, 1937 – September 12, 2020) was 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.

He was released from prison in 1986 and spent his later years as an ordained minister, working with inmates in the field of prison ministry.

Jack Roland Murphy was born on May 26, 1937, in Los Angeles, California. He was an only child and his father worked as a telephone company lineman. Growing up, Murphy enjoyed playing the violin and surfing. 

When he was in high Schoo, the family relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. According to Murphy, he played violin with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and won a tennis scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh.

In 1955, Murphy moved to Miami, Florida where he worked at hotels. 

Murphy was involved in the notorious burglary, 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 heist was called the "Jewel Heist of the Century." It targeted 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 that security was lax to non-existent. The burglar alarm system was non-operational, and a fourth-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 insured for more than $400,000.

Murphy and both his accomplices, Alan Dale Kuhn and Roger Clark, were arrested two days later and charged with first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. Free on bail, the men returned to Florida. Months later, prosecutors charged Murphy and Kuhn with the unrelated robbery and assault of actress Eva Gabor. In response to the new charges, a judge raised their bail to $150,000 and the men were jailed. Kuhn offered to retrieve the jewels in exchange for a lighter sentence.

The uninsured Star of India was recovered in a footlocker at a Miami bus station. Most of the other gems were also recovered, except the Eagle Diamond, which has since been hypothesized to have been cut down into smaller stones. Richard Duncan Pearson was also convicted.

In April 1965, Murphy, Kuhn, and Clark pleaded guilty to burglary and grand larceny and were sentenced to three years.

In 1967, in Broward County, Florida, the weighted-down bodies of Terry Rae Frank and Annelle Marie Mohn were found in Whiskey Creek Canal, near Hollywood, at the site of John U. Lloyd Beach State Park. The two women, Frank and Mohn, were former employees of the Los Angeles brokerage firm Rutner, Jackson & Gray. They were suspects in the theft of $488,732 worth of stocks (equivalent to approximately $3,747,433 in 2019 dollars). The loss of the stocks was not discovered until after the two women quit the firm and moved to Florida. Shortly after arriving in Florida, Frank and Mohn moved in with Murphy.

In January 1968, Murphy was caught by police as he and three companions were robbing wealthy Miami socialite Olive Wofford. Wofford later reported having a pistol held to her head as the criminals threatened to pour boiling water on her little niece. He was eventually convicted in the Wofford robbery (1968) and sentenced to a second life sentence plus 20 years.

In 1969, Murphy was convicted of first-degree murder committed in Broward County, Florida. He and Jack Griffith were tried in Fort Lauderdale for the murder of Terry Rae Frank, who was one of two women whose bodies were found in the Whiskey Creek Canal near Hollywood, at the site of John U. Lloyd Beach State Park. Murphy's attorney pleaded him not guilty by reason of insanity. The recommendation of mercy by the jury helped Murphy to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to life in prison at hard labor. Murphy's accomplice Griffith, who was convicted of second-degree murder, received a 45-year sentence at hard labor.

Bill Glass, Roger Staubach, and McCoy McLemore, world champion athletes and local businessmen, visited the Florida State prison in 1974. Murphy was impressed by these visitors and decided to change his life. At that time, Murphy's earliest parole date was November 2005. Murphy began participating in the prison chaplaincy program, leading Bible studies, and mentoring other men in prison. His parole date was moved up progressively because of good behavior. The Florida Parole Board voted to release Murphy, effective November 1986. Some conditions of his parole included making a $2500 donation to Meals on Wheels, and a restriction on returning to Dade and Broward counties, where the crimes were committed.

In 1986, Murphy began visiting prisons and jails all over the U.S. as a part of his prison ministry. He was hired by Bill Glass Champions for Life in 1986. Murphy has also been a featured speaker for Kairos, Coalition of Prison Evangelists, International Network of Prison Ministries, Time for Freedom, and Good News Jail & Prison Ministry. After visiting over 1,200 prisons, and recognizing the change apparent in Murphy's life, the Florida Parole Board terminated his "lifetime parole" in 2000.

Murphy was the keynote speaker in Jerusalem during the 1st World Conference on Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation through Religion. He is a frequent guest on Christian television and radio programs. Murphy has also appeared on CNN's Larry King Live.

As of August 2011, Murphy had been serving as a Vice-President of International Network of Prison Ministries, visiting prisons, jails, and youth detention facilities all over the world. Murphy wrote a book about his experience and testimony entitled Jewels for the Journey.

In 2012, Murphy's bid for clemency was denied by the state of Florida. Former Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Louie L. Wainwright spoke on Murphy's behalf about the prison ministry work he had done since his 1986 release from prison. According to reports, Governor Rick Scott was willing to restore Murphy's rights but did not have the additional two votes from cabinet members required under Florida law.

Murphy married Gloria Sostoc in 1957. They had two children together before divorcing in 1962. 

Later, he married his second wife, Kitten, and opened a surf shop in Indialantic, Florida. The family lived in Crystal River, Florida, with their grandchildren.

The heist was the subject of Marvin J. Chomsky's 1975 film Murph the Surf(alternate title: Live a Little, Steal a Lot). Don Stroud played Murphy, Robert Conradplayed Alan Dale Kuhn and Burt Young played Sgt. Bernasconi. E. Arthur Kean was the screenwriter and Kuhn also contributed to the story.

Writer Nora Ephron, then only 23, covered the story for the New York Post. 

In 1994, Murphy was was featured in "Murph the Surf" episode of Robert Powell's TV series Great Crimes and Trials of the Twentieth Century.

In 2008, he was featured in Dos and Don'ts of Prison Ministry.

In a 2019 New York Times feature story on the 1964 jewel heist, Murphy, the only survivor among the robbers, was quoted at length from his home in Florida.

Murphy died on September 12, 2020, in Crystal River Florida. According to his wife, he died of heart and organ failure.