Sherwood man draws time for child porn

A Sherwood man was sentenced Wednesday to four years and nine months in federal prison for participating in an online chat room that shared live images of children being raped.

William Thomas Murry III, 62, viewed the images at his business, Kawasaki Sports Center, a motorcycle dealership on Little Rock’s South University Avenue, prosecutors said.

The images were shown in the chat room in 2015 and 2016 while Murry was

participating, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

“This defendant assisted in creating a market for child pornography by seeking images of the sexual abuse of children,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Cody Hiland said in an emailed statement to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “Those who do not participate in the actual physical abuse of our children are still responsible for the images they possess.”

Murry was arrested in July 2017 after agents with the Department of Homeland Security tracked the Internet Protocol address of a chat room participant to the business and then executed a search warrant there in November 2016.

Murry’s face wasn’t visible through the video conferencing applications, but his

bare torso and genitals were, prosecutors said. The images also showed a background that was consistent with a business office, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

A forensic examination of Murry’s work computer and his home laptop both revealed images and videos of child pornography, authorities said.

Murry was indicted in 2017 on one count of possession of child pornography and four counts of receipt of child pornography. He avoided standing trial on those charges by agreeing to plead guilty to the possession charge. In exchange for his plea, the other four charges were dropped.

Murry pleaded guilty in January. He could have faced up to 10 years in prison.

After he serves his sentence, Murry will be required to serve five additional years of supervised release, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.