Murphy Appointed Deputy State's Attorney for Howard County

May 13, 2008

Howard County State’s Attorney Dario J. Broccolino has appointed Mary V. Murphy to the post of deputy state’s attorney. Murphy is a veteran prosecutor in the Circuit Court Division where she has prosecuted felony cases ranging from homicides and child abuse to narcotics and property crimes. As Deputy State’s Attorney, Murphy succeeds Broccolino who was sworn in as state’s attorney on April 14, 2008.

She is the first woman to be appointed to the position of deputy state’s attorney. One of Broccolino’s predecessors, Marna McClendon, was the first woman State’s Attorney, having been elected in 1994 and re-elected in 1998.

“Mary Murphy is a superb prosecutor whose impressive prosecution record in high profile cases, combined with her knowledge of the law and criminal procedures, will enhance the mission and operations of the State’s Attorney’s Office,” said Broccolino. “Her career has earned the respect of her colleagues and the legal community, and so her appointment was not a difficult decision,” he added.

Since 1997, Murphy has supervised a felony prosecution team consisting of four attorneys and an investigator. She has been associated with the state’s attorney’s office since 1991 when she was hired as an assistant state’s attorney.

From 1989 to 1991, she was a litigation associate in the Baltimore law firm of Weinberg and Green with a practice involving both criminal and civil cases.

Murphy graduated with a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Wheaton College in Norton, MA (May 1986), and received her J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center (May 1989).

She currently serves as vice president of the Bar Foundation for Howard County, secretary of the Litigation Section Council of the Maryland State Bar Association, and is a director of the Howard County Bar Association. She is also a past president of the James MacGill Inn of Court and the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland. The Howard County Chamber of Commerce bestowed upon her a Distinguished Service Award in Prosecution in 1998. In addition to her membership with the state and local bar associations, Murphy is a member of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland and the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Association.