LEE COUNTY (November 5, 2025) – On November 4, 2025, at approximately 8:27 PM CST, Lee County Sheriff’s Office Investigators attempted to serve a search warrant in the 100 block of Lee Rd. 2222 in the Salem community of Lee County, AL, in reference to the sexual assault of a juvenile under the age of eighteen.
Before Investigators could enter, a single gunshot was heard coming from the back of the residence. Investigators immediately backed away from the door of the residence and waited for additional personnel to arrive. A few minutes later, entry was made into the residence where the suspect, 35-year-old Charles Jantsin Murphy, was found deceased in his bed with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the head.
Opelika Police Department was contacted to assist in the investigation. It is standard procedure for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to contact an outside agency to investigate a case whenever a firearm has been discharged in the presence of Lee County deputies.
