Introduction
Charles W. Murphy (1961 – March 27, 2017) was an American investor and hedge fund manager and has been referred to in media reports as a "financial guru".
Early life and education
Charles W. Murphy was born in 1961 to a middle-class New York family. He grew up in New York City and attended The Buckley School and Hunter College High School. He graduated with a B.A. from Columbia University, a law degree from Harvard University and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Career
Murphy began his career at Goldman Sachs (1985–1990) then joined Morgan Stanley as a managing director in the Financial Institutions Group (1990–2000). After ten years at Morgan Stanley he moved to London where he led the Financial Institutions Group at Deutsche Bank (2001–2005) and then at Credit Suisse (2005–2007).
Murphy also worked at Fairfield Greenwich, which was heavily invested in the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Murphy joined investment firm Paulson & Co. in 2009. While there, he helped organize the firm's activist push to break up American International Group.
Personal life
At the time of his death, Murphy was married to his second wife Annabella Murphy and had four children.
Purported financial difficulties
The New York Times reported in 2009 that Murphy had tried to persuade the buyer of his neighbor's house to buy his house instead. According to the article, the effort failed and his neighbor found out what he had tried to do.
According to a parking attendant at a nearby garage, Murphy's wife had crashed their car in the summer of 2016 and that the family did not have the resources to repair the vehicle.
Death
Murphy died on Monday March 28, 2017 at the age of 56 from an apparent suicide, jumping from the 24th floor of the Sofitel Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Murphy was being treated for depression by a psychiatrist and was taking anti-depressants. According to police reports, Murphy left behind a note.