Georgia man pleads guilty to calling in threats days after Walmart shooting

NORFOLK, Va. – An Atlanta man pleaded guilty today to making interstate threats just three days after a gunman shot and killed six people at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia.

According to court documents, on Nov. 25, 2022, DeAndre Tamir Murphy, aka DeAdre Murphy, 30, called two Walmart stores in Virginia Beach and threatened that he had gunmen in place prepared to enter the stores. That date was the day following Thanksgiving, known as “Black Friday,” when stores were full for the busiest shopping day of the year. Identifying himself as “Mohammed,” Murphy demanded $20,000 or, he threatened, his gunmen would enter the stores and “start shooting people.”

Investigators - who recorded the second call - traced the call back to Murphy in Atlanta.

Murphy is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 27. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-9.

Correction: This release has been revised to reflect that six people, not eight, were killed in the shooting in Chesapeake on Nov. 22, 2022.