Inside the Mind of a Homicide Prosecutor: A Conversation with Matt Murphy

Matt Murphy is a former homicide prosecutor with over 20 years of experience at the Orange County District Attorney’s office. He is currently a legal analyst for ABC News and an avid shark diver and surfer. His new book, The Book of Murder, chronicles his career and the lessons he learned from prosecuting some of the most notorious cases in Southern California.

Listeners can learn more about Matt Murphy at his website, or on IG @mattmurphylaw

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The Book of Murder : A Prosecutor’s Journey Through Love and Death

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, talks with Matt Murphy, a renowned legal analyst, former homicide prosecutor, and shark diver. With over 20 years of experience in the Orange County DA’s office, Matt shares his unique insights into solving cold cases, tackling notorious serial killer cases, and the emotional toll of bringing justice to victims and their families. The conversation also covers his new book, The Book of Murder: A Prosecutor's Journey Through Love and Death, and how his career has shaped his outlook on life.

Show Notes:

(0:00) Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum
(0:10) Sheryl introduces guest, Matt Murphy to Zone 7
(2:00) Matt Murphy's cold case approach
(5:20) “The only thing worse than losing a loved one is losing a loved one to murder. And the only thing worse than losing a loved one to murder is when the killer gets away with it.”
(10:00) Matt’s personal hobbies - shark diving
(14:00) Teamwork and collaboration in solving cases
(20:00) Life as a homicide prosecutor - impact on personal life
(23:30) The importance of teamwork and mentorship
(30:30) The significance of bringing justice to murder victims’ families
(38:00) “Monsters can mask their true nature, especially in settin’s, where you get limited exposure to their full selves.”
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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

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