![]() ![]() But the girl did agree to tell her story to Lily, which provided the necessary information to pursue prosecution. Zugibe recalled a case in which a child wouldn't speak. "These are the outcomes that prove to me what a good program this is." "It's days like that that really make it all worthwhile," Murphy said. In a recent case, a father who was accused of raping his daughter skipped trial and pleaded guilty when his defense team realized that the girl, with Lily's help, was prepared to testify. It happens all the time, Murphy said, totally fine with being Lily's sidekick. ![]() "The two kids run over to Lilly, and the older one says, 'This is Lilly, this is who I told you about.'" Murphy then asked the girl, if she remembered her name. One 6-year-old victim had come back to see Lily with her 4-year-old sister, Murphy said, because law enforcement officials wanted to make sure the younger girl wasn't a victim, too. ![]() "She never looked at me but was able to tell the whole story," Murphy said. "Then she got down on the floor with the dog, just petting the dog." The girl focused on Lily, and Lily focused on her. "She was hysterically crying," Murphy said. Murphy recounted the story of a 12-year-old who was too emotional to speak of the crime perpetrated upon her by a family member. Sexual assaults involving children are very difficult to prosecute, Murphy said, and Lily has become invaluable in their ability to build a solid case.Ĭhildren often lock trauma away, and Lily can provide the key. Murphy's idea to add Lily, Zugibe said, "took that to the next level." On the job "Hundreds if not thousands of special victims have gone through that center, which offered unbelievable support for the victims," Zugibe said. "And it led to the successful prosecution of many offenders." It was Murphy, Zugibe said, who convinced him to establish the Spirit of Rockland Special Victims Center, the physical embodiment of the victim support Rockland's SVU offers. "Sometimes you're not recognized in your own community," said Zugibe, calling Murphy one of the foremost sex crimes detectives in the nation. "Mary understood the important issues and basically educated all of us." "All these factors make these cases difficult to go forward with."įormer Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe, who is now a state Supreme Court judge, credits Murphy with Rockland's success in prosecuting sex crimes while supporting victims. a lot of these cases don't go to trial because your victims are vulnerable," so a defense team may perceive weakness in the case, Murphy said. "Most of the times these victims know the perpetrators . The proof, Murphy said, is "we're winning more cases." "Our secondary goal is holding perpetrators accountable." "Our main goal is to protect a child," Murphy said. But she's also there to ensure the bad guys face justice. ![]()
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