by Ron Gregory
ronjgregory@gmail.com
LOGAN – A local entertainer, best known as the winner of a televised talent contest, has been arraigned on assault charges in Logan County Magistrate court.
Magistrate Joe Mendez set bail at $3,500 for Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., after he was arrested Monday.
Murphy, 42. won the “America’s Got Talent” competition in the show’s sixth season on September 14, 2011. In doing so, he won a $1 million prize and began performing in Las Vegas in October of that year.
Senior State Trooper M.J. Miller of the Logan detachment was assigned the assault case after receiving a call from 911. The trooper went to Logan Regional Medical Center, where he met with the victims. His report said Miller observed bruises and swelling around her left eye and on the left side of her face. The charges say the victim’s face was covered in potting soil.
Miller conducted a recorded interview with the alleged victim. His report said she said she and Murphy had engaged in a verbal confrontation and she attempted to leave Murphy’s house.
As she attempted to leave, she said, Murphy began slapping her, then grabbed her and slammed her on the ground. The victim further alleged that Murphy hit her with a golf club.
The trooper traveled to Murphy’s home at Whitman, where he attempted to speak with him, the report said. During his time at the residence, Miller observed potting soil in the front yard and found a golf club in the living area.
Miller said Murphy refused to talk to him, eventually saying, “f—k you” to the officer.
Murphy was charged with misdemeanor assault and domestic battery. The maximum punishment for those crimes would be up to 18 months in prison and $600 in fines.
Murphy was raised in Logan, where his father was a coal miner. He spent much of his childhood in Detroit, Michigan. His biography says he dropped out of school in the 11th grade and was homeless at 19, sleeping in his car.
He moved back to West Virginia in the 1990s and renewed his childhood friendship with Jennifer Carter. They were married in 2005. He said he was nearly destitute when he auditioned for the talent show in 2010.