Camarillo : Child Molester to Be Resentenced

A convicted child molester whose five-year prison sentence has been temporarily rescinded for medical reasons will face emergency surgery before being resentenced next month.

Charles S. Murphy, who pleaded guilty to six counts of unlawful sex with minors, was diagnosed with prostate cancer days after being remanded Jan. 14 to the state Department of Corrections, defense attorney Louis B. Samonsky said Thursday.

The operation is the only feasible treatment for the condition, which could worsen if delayed under state care, Samonsky argued.

Samonsky went before Superior Court Charles W. Campbell Jr. after the cancer was discovered and asked that the sentence be “recalled,” or suspended pending resentencing at a later date. Campbell agreed to recall the sentence.

“If all goes well, apparently Mr. Murphy would be free to go about his business with no (medical) follow-up,” said Samonsky, who hinted that he will seek a more lenient sentence at an April 12 hearing. Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrice Davis-Koenig did not oppose the motion to recall the sentence.

Murphy, 71, admitted molesting a 7-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl during an eight-month period last year in Camarillo. He now is living with his son in Agoura, Samonsky said.