Upper East Side Rapist Convicted for Brutal Attack on Sleeping Nurse

A 29-year-old male rapist was convicted of brutally attacking a sleeping nurse after he broke into her Upper East Side apartment in the middle of the night in September 2024.

The suspect, Donovan Murphy, was arrested by the NYPD Fugitive Task Force on Oct. 2, 2024, four days after the vicious assault. He broke into the nurse’s apartment at 3:40 a.m. on September 28. The 29-year-old nurse who was sleeping between shifts found him in bed next to her whereupon he began a vicious assault that left her with a fractured skull.

The victim bravely took the stand to confront the accused in a trail in New York State Supreme Court that began on March 12 and ended with his conviction on April 6. Aside from rape, Murphy was also convicted of burglary as a sexually motivated felony and one count of assault.

“Donovan Murphy brutally raped a nurse who was just trying to get some sleep between her shifts at the hospital,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “A jury found that he broke into her apartment, beat her until he fractured her skull and split open her mouth, and then raped her,” Bragg said. “I thank the survivor for her fortitude and bravery taking the stand, and the members of the jury for their careful consideration of this case.”

Murphy had initially sought to gain entry to a different building a few blocks away. Prosecutors said Murphy attempted to follow a woman into her Upper East Side apartment building, and buzzed multiple apartments in an effort to enter the front door. He left approximately 5 minutes later when the husband of the woman he was attempting to follow came to the door with a baseball bat.

But several hours later, he struck again.

At approximately 3:40 a.m., Murphy entered a second woman’s Upper East Side apartment just blocks away in Yorkville on First Ave and East 92nd Street. This corner is one of contrasts, with the Plymouth Towers coop apartments on the northwest corner, and the Holmes Towers NYCHA projects on the northeast corner.

Cops said he first stole several bank cards from her wallet and then climbed into her bed. When she awoke and saw a man she did not know, she screamed and fell to the floor after a wave of dizziness, according to prosecutors.

“Murphy grabbed her from behind and punched her repeatedly in the face, causing a 5-centimeter, muscle-deep laceration to her mouth and fracturing her facial bones,” prosecutors said following his arrest on Oct 2, 2024. He used her bank cards to purchase a taxi ride and items at a pharmacy in the Bronx.

The NYPD Fugitive Task Force using information from the nurse’s stolen credit cards, tracked him to his residence in the Bronx where he was arrested four days after the brutal assault.

Murphy’s Legal Aid attorney, Sean Parmenter, could not be reached for comment. Murphy is being held on Riker’s Island pending his sentencing on June 11. According to Department of Correction records, Murphy is a Black male, 5 foot 8 inches, 160 pounds, born in Pennsylvania.

The law mandates a minimum of five years and a maximum of 25 years.

Anyone who is a victim of sexual assault is urged to contact the 24-hour NYPD Special Victims Division hotline at 212-267-RAPE (7273).