Bio

Ivan Ray Murphy Jr. was born on January 10, 1965. Official Texas prison records list him as a Texas native from Grayson County. Before the murder case, he worked as a mechanic and had completed twelve years of education. He was 24 years old at the time of the offense.

Before the killing of Lula Mae Denning, Murphy already had a criminal history. Texas Department of Criminal Justice records show that he had previously served time for theft over $200. He was received into state custody on October 16, 1984, for a three-year sentence from Grayson County and was later released on parole in May 1985.

Murphy knew Lula Mae Denning before the murder. Court records described Denning as an 80-year-old lifetime friend of Murphy. This personal connection allowed Murphy and his co-defendant, Douglas Wayne Stoff, to enter her home in Denison, Texas, on the night of January 9, 1989.

Murder Story

On January 9, 1989, Ivan Ray Murphy Jr. and Douglas Wayne Stoff went to Lula Mae Denning’s home in Denison, Texas. Denning was 80 years old and knew Murphy personally, so she allowed both men inside. According to federal court records, Murphy and Stoff robbed Denning of jewelry, beat her until she was unconscious, and left her for dead. They later returned to the home to steal more jewelry, which could be sold or traded for drugs.

The crime was investigated as a murder committed during robbery or burglary. A Grayson County grand jury indicted Murphy for capital murder, and a jury later found him guilty. The same jury answered the required punishment questions in a way that resulted in a death sentence.

An anonymous phone call to Denison police helped point investigators toward Murphy. He was later arrested in Oklahoma after an unrelated shooting incident and was returned to Texas. Murphy gave a statement admitting that he and Stoff went to Denning’s home with the intent to rob her, though he claimed Stoff was the person who struck Denning.

At trial, the prosecution presented evidence that contradicted Murphy’s version of events. Investigators found evidence that Murphy had possession of jewelry taken from Denning’s home after the murder. A bowl from which Murphy had eaten ice cream had been wiped on the outside, but his fingerprints were found on the inside. Traces of Denning’s blood were also found on Murphy’s clothing.

A jailhouse witness, Michael McGregor, also testified that Murphy described the killing while they were both in the Grayson County jail. According to that testimony, Murphy said Stoff knocked Denning down and that Murphy beat her. McGregor also testified that Murphy and Stoff took items from the home, traded them for drugs, and later returned to the house to look for more valuables.

Murphy was tried and convicted by a jury in October 1990. His conviction and death sentence later became the subject of federal appeals, including claims related to jury instructions in the punishment phase. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit denied relief in 2003.

Douglas Wayne Stoff, Murphy’s co-defendant, did not receive a death sentence. Available records identify Stoff as Murphy’s accomplice and show that he received a life sentence.

Ivan Ray Murphy Jr. was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, on December 4, 2003. He was 38 years old. His final statement was religious in tone and thanked supporters before ending with: “I love you all. I am ready, Warden.”