Santa Barbara County – Notwithstanding the frequent portrayal of those suffering a fatal gunshot wound in the movies or on television cop shows, rarely do law enforcement personnel hear dying victims identify their killers by name.
Occasionally, however, reality can mirror theatrical drama, and such appears to have been the case on the night of October 13th when, according to Lompoc Police Department spokesman Sgt. Chuck Strange, officers were dispatched pursuant to a 911 Emergency call reporting “shots fired” in a local area residential neighborhood. Officers arriving at the North Daisy Street home made contact with its resident, Clay Martin Burt Murray, 64, and detained him pending their further investigation of the residence.
After officers checked and cleared the interior of the home, they made their way outside and, as reported by Strange, “as the officers were checking the back yard of the residence, they discovered an adult female that had suffered a gunshot wound to her abdomen.” In spite of what would ultimately prove to be a fatal wound, “she was conscious and able to speak to the officers,” and summarily reported to them that her wound had been inflicted by Murray.
At that point, the woman was rushed to Lompoc District Hospital while officers took Murray into custody. A short time later, while being attended to by emergency medical staff at the hospital, the victim succumbed to her injuries and died. Murray was subsequently booked into Santa Barbara County Jail and charged with murder.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
Santa Ynez Valley News: Clay Martin Burt Murray
Noozhawk: Lompoc man arrested on murder charge
