Barret Paul Murphy
Santa Barbara – Montecito, the celebrity-packed enclave of the (very) rich and (very) famous, where effortless luxury and a life of elegant leisure are de rigeur, is so rarely the scene of violent crime that the mere mention of it occurring within the community’s unincorporated “city” limits seems something of an oxymoron.
Occasionally, however, that veneer of opulent tranquility is shattered by bizarre criminal activity that has the locals scratching their heads. One such incident appears to have taken place early in the morning of October 6th, when Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department patrol deputies responded to a 911 Emergency call detailing what SBSD spokesman Lt. Kevin Huddle described as “a woman screaming for help and a man chasing her with a knife.”
Upon arrival a the reporting address, deputies discovered 49-year-old resident Barret Paul Murphy in front of the home who had been detained by first responders from the Montecito Fire Department. A brief investigation promptly ensued, leading deputies to suspect Murphy of involvement in a violent assault upon the female resident of the home.
It was determined that Murphy had broken into the woman’s home in the early morning hours of the 6th, “sexually assaulted her, and attempted to stab her to death.” Huddle further reported that “the victim was eventually able to escape from the house and flagged down an uninvolved vehicle driving down the roadway” to help her report the attack.
The victim was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of injuries inflicted by Murphy, while he was transported to Santa Barbara County jail and booked there on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, rape by force, sexual assault, oral copulation, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and domestic violence inflicting injury with his bail set at $1,000,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
