A Missouri prison nurse has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for poisoning her husband and setting their house on fire in a desperate attempt to conceal her crime.
Amy Murray, 46, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, second-degree arson, and tampering with evidence on June 25, 2025, in a deal with prosecutors.
In exchange, prosecutors dropped the charge of armed criminal action against her. This plea allowed her to accept the conviction while maintaining her innocence in the case.
The Crime and Investigation
Murray’s husband, Joshua Murray, was just 37 years old when he died in what initially appeared to be a tragic house fire. The couple shared a home in Iberia, a small town in Missouri. When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they believed the fire was the cause of Joshua’s death.
However, the investigation quickly turned into a homicide case when a medical examiner discovered high levels of antifreeze in Joshua’s system during an autopsy. The examiner also found signs that Joshua had been dead before the fire started.
Further investigations revealed that an accelerant had been used to start the fire, which prompted the authorities to question Amy Murray’s involvement.
The authorities also learned that Murray had been at the house just 30 minutes before the fire started, leaving the home with her 11-year-old son and their two dogs, which raised suspicions.
Murray’s Motive and Connection to Inmate
Authorities later uncovered that Murray had been in frequent contact with Eugene Claypool, an inmate at the Jefferson City Correctional Center. Murray, who worked as a nurse at the facility, had been speaking to Claypool, who was serving a life sentence for murder.
The calls between the two were recorded, and during their conversations, Murray expressed her desire to be rid of her husband. She spoke openly about not wanting to be around him and mentioned that after her husband passed, she and Claypool could marry, as he would be “out of the picture.”
This evidence was crucial in building the case against her.
Murray was arrested three months after Joshua’s death in February 2019. After her arrest, she posted a $750,000 bail and spent six years fighting the charges in court. At one point, her defense team even suggested that Joshua may have ingested the antifreeze himself, but the judge rejected that motion.
The Sentencing and Family Impact
On June 25, 2025, Murray entered an Alford plea, which allowed her to avoid the armed criminal action charge while still being convicted. The judge sentenced her to 12 years for the second-degree murder charge, seven years for the arson charge, and four years for tampering with evidence.
These sentences will be served consecutively for the arson and tampering charges and concurrently with her murder sentence.
The case also revealed the impact of Joshua’s death on his family. His aunt, Sherry Thompson, expressed the family’s frustration with the lengthy legal process and described Joshua as a dedicated husband, father, and respected member of their community.
“Josh was a good faithful husband and father. For years, Josh owned his own construction business and worked hard to provide for his family,” Thompson wrote in a letter submitted to the court.
Murray is currently being held at the Miller County Correctional Facility while awaiting her transfer to a state prison.
Amy Murray’s case serves as a chilling reminder of the potential dangers of manipulation and deceit in relationships. The murder of Joshua Murray and the subsequent cover-up attempt through arson highlight the lengths some individuals may go to when driven by their own desires.
With Murray now facing a lengthy prison sentence, this case underscores the importance of justice for the victims and the lasting impact such actions have on families and communities.
