New chief

Jay County has a new chief public defender.

Brandon Murphy, who is originally from Eaton, has been working as a public defender in Jay County for about eight years. He worked with the past two chiefs, Robert Beymer — who held the position from 2008 to his death in 2016 — and Joelle Freiburger, who left the office in February for a prosecutor position in Blackford County. Murphy took over the role after Freiburger left.

When Murphy was younger, he watched his father Steven Murphy practice law at DeFur Voran law firm in Muncie. He said he found criminal law more interesting than corporate items or contracts.

“Criminal law is always based on an event or something unusual that occurs,” he said. “And I think that’s what draws me to it. It’s something different. Every case is different; every defendant is different.”

Although Murphy began as chief five months ago, he noted the public defender’s office hasn’t had as many cases as usual. The coronavirus pandemic had a large effect on criminal justice systems, he said.

The number of cases filed decreased during the shutdown. Jay County courts had scheduled to begin sessions in person starting July 1, but that date has been postponed until the clerk’s office renovations are finished.

Murphy said he has handled many cases in Jay County, and he enjoys working here because he feels closer to the decision-making process.

Public defender attorney Rachel Walker, who has known Murphy for about six months, said one of the first things he did in the new role was sit down with each public defender to discuss their goals and any concerns they might have. She said he “definitely fights for his clients.”

“I think he’s a great asset to the county and anyone who has him is lucky to have someone as experienced and knowledgable as him,” Walker said.

Christy Bailey, assistant to the public defender, said Murphy has transitioned to the chief role well. She said he also helped the defender’s office after Beymer died.

“I was very grateful and thankful to Brandon because he came in when Bob passed away and just picked up the slack and helped us through that transition,” she said.

Alongside his part-time chief public defender work, Murphy also teaches criminal justice classes at Ball State University and runs a private law office in Portland.

Public defender attorney Zech Landers, who has known Murphy since receiving his license to practice law in October, said he often reaches out to Brandon for advice.

“He’s really knowledgeable and he does a good job of, you know, paying attention to his cases and paying attention to the other public defenders,” he said. “He’s really good about being available and mentoring, at least in my experience.”

Children in Need of Services (CHINS) cases take up a lot of the public defender’s office caseload, Murphy added. CHINS cases have increased in recent years because of opioid addictions. He said as a public defender, he not only represents the defendants in criminal cases and juveniles in juvenile delinquency cases, but he also represents parents in CHINS cases.

He explained how those accused with crimes aren’t always guilty or are guilty of less than they are charged. He said the public defender’s office helps people with limited resources get the help they need.

“I have represented people who I know were innocent, and you’ve got to have somebody willing to go to bat for that person and take it to trial,” he said.