Missouri prison nurse Amy Murray was sentenced to 12 years for poisoning her husband with antifreeze to pursue a romantic relationship with a convicted murderer serving time at the facility where she worked.
Key Takeaways
- Amy Murray, 47, entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder, arson, and tampering with evidence charges in her husband’s 2018 death
- Murray poisoned her husband with antifreeze and set their home on fire to cover up the crime
- The murder was motivated by Murray’s desire to marry Eugene Claypool, an inmate serving time for killing a lottery winner
- Recorded prison phone calls revealed Murray discussed plans to marry Claypool after her husband’s death
- The case highlights the dangers of inappropriate relationships between correctional staff and inmates
A Deadly Plan Unravels
In a disturbing case exposing the dangerous consequences of inappropriate relationships in correctional settings, former prison nurse Amy Murray, 47, will serve 12 years behind bars for the calculated murder of her husband. Murray poisoned Joshua Murray with antifreeze and then set their Miller County, Missouri home ablaze to conceal the evidence. Investigators determined Joshua was already dead from poisoning before the fire on December 11, 2018. Murray had conveniently left the residence with her child and two dogs shortly before flames engulfed the home, a key detail that raised suspicions among investigators.
Murray entered an Alford plea in the case, a legal maneuver allowing her to accept punishment without explicitly admitting guilt. The plea covered multiple charges including second-degree murder, arson, and tampering with evidence. Blood tests revealed elevated levels of antifreeze in Joshua’s system, contradicting Murray’s initial story and leading to her arrest approximately three months after his death. The case took over six years to reach its conclusion, with the sentencing finally delivered in June 2025.
A Forbidden Prison Romance
The motive behind Murray’s deadly actions stemmed from her inappropriate romantic relationship with Eugene Claypool, an inmate at Jefferson City Correctional Center where she worked part-time as a nurse. Claypool was serving a life sentence for the 2000 murder of a 72-year-old lottery winner. Investigators uncovered recorded phone conversations between Murray and Claypool that revealed not only their relationship but also discussions about marriage plans following Joshua’s death. Murray had explicitly expressed dissatisfaction with her marriage during these calls.
This case highlights a persistent problem within correctional institutions: staff becoming romantically involved with inmates. Such relationships not only compromise prison security but can lead to devastating consequences outside prison walls. Murray’s actions demonstrate the extreme end of this spectrum, where professional boundaries were catastrophically breached, ultimately resulting in murder. The correctional system’s policies prohibiting such relationships exist precisely because of the potential for manipulation and exploitation.
Justice Served After Years of Legal Proceedings
The final 12-year sentence represents the culmination of a complex legal process spanning over six years. Murray’s calculated approach to eliminating her husband included not just poisoning him with antifreeze but attempting to destroy evidence through arson. Investigators noted that a fire had been intentionally set in the master bedroom of the Murray residence, but the attempt to obscure the cause of death failed when toxicology reports identified the poison in Joshua’s system. The forensic evidence directly contradicted Murray’s narrative.
The Miller County case serves as a stark reminder of how personal relationships can lead to horrific crimes when boundaries are crossed. Murray’s position as a healthcare provider in a correctional facility gave her access to a vulnerable population, and instead of maintaining professional ethics, she developed a relationship that ultimately cost her husband his life. The justice system’s response, while delayed, ultimately held Murray accountable for her premeditated actions, ensuring she will now experience incarceration from the other side of the bars.
