Parole Granted for Christopher Nicholas Orlando in 2002 DeKalb Murder Case

March 10, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

47 year old Christopher Nicholas Orlando has received good news from members of the Tennessee Board of Parole

Orlando is serving a 35 year prison sentence for facilitation of first degree murder in the death of 20 year old Joshua Murphy. He is incarcerated at the Morgan County Correctional Complex in Wartburg, Tennessee. A previous conviction against Orlando for possession of cocaine ran consecutively with the murder case and expired in 2009. Orlando’s sentence in the murder case is due to expire in 2039. He has served almost 18 years.

Members of the parole board held a hearing for Orlando on Thursday, March 5 and voted to recommend his release. The decision was finalized on Friday, March 6, according to Rachel A. Hitt, Staff Attorney for the Tennessee Board of Parole. At his last parole hearing two years ago, Orlando was denied parole due to the seriousness of the offense.

Murphy was shot and killed in a secluded area in the Laurel Hill Community at the end of Old Eagle Creek Road on Sunday, September 15, 2002. His body was discovered three days later. Officials said Orlando and a co-defendant, 48 year old Melvin Turnbill suspected Murphy of stealing methamphetamine. Orlando was tried and convicted of the crime by a DeKalb County Criminal Court Jury in April, 2004.

Turnbill entered a guilty plea to facilitation to first-degree murder in September, 2003 and was given a 25-year sentence. Turnbill was granted parole in March 2015 after serving more than twelve years but he ran afoul of the law again in Putnam County and was sent back to prison in 2016. Turnbill was again granted parole after a hearing in 2018.

In previous parole hearings Orlando has said he was sorry for the death of Murphy and for the first time took responsibility for being the triggerman in the shooting. He initially blamed Turnbill for actually committing the murder.

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