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Guilty plea for man who threatened two Virginia Walmarts on Black Friday

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A Georgia man pleaded guilty Monday to making threats against two Virginia Beach Walmart stores just three days after a gunman shot and killed six people at a Walmart store in Chesapeake.

DeAndre Tamir Murphy, aka DeAdre Murphy, 30, was arrested after police traced the calls back to him in Atlanta.

According to court documents, on Nov. 25, 2022, Murphy called the two Walmart stores on Black Friday and threatened that he had gunmen in place prepared to enter the stores.

Identifying himself as “Mohammed,” Murphy demanded $20,000 or, he threatened, his gunmen would enter the stores and “start shooting people.”

Murphy pleaded guilty to making interstate threats and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 27.

He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.