Matt Murphy is a former senior deputy district attorney in Orange County, California, who has since moved on to retirement in private practice, commentary in the media, and authorship. His most notable works are the years during which he prosecuted murder, rape, and high-profile murder cases.
He is also recognized for his legal commentary in the national press, including ABC News; and his memoir, The Book of Murder: A Prosecutor’s Journey through Love and Death (2024). With decades of courtroom experience, his career history of serving the people, and his commitment to the rights of victims, he is respected.
Quick Info |
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|---|---|
| Real Name: | Matt Murphy |
| Birth Date: | 1960s |
| Age (as of 2025): | 50s |
| Birthplace: | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Height: | – |
| Wife: | – |
Early Life
Matt Murphy has not publicly shared his exact age or birthdate, but available details provide a close estimate. He completed his undergraduate degree in 1990 and earned his Juris Doctor in 1993, which suggests he was likely born around 1968. Based on this timeline, he would be about 57 to 58 years old in 2025.
Matt Murphy graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law. In 1991, as a student at the law school, he spent the summer of 1991 in Paris at the University of Sorbonne, where he was enrolled in two courses on international law and comparative law, earning the American Jurisprudence Award in both courses.
A private law firm, the FBI and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office became interested in him after his performance in school and through his work at a sexual assault program at a college. He decided to pursue a career in the prosecutor’s office, and he was sworn in as a Deputy District Attorney in December of 1993.
In his early prosecutorial career, he worked in Juvenile Court, followed by Municipal Court, Juvenile Gangs, and the Felony Panel (at one time handling 24 felony jury trials in a single year). He then transferred to the Sexual Assault Unit, where he served about three and a half years dealing with rapists and child molesters, during which he tried fifteen felony sexual assault cases.
Career
The career of Matt Murphy as a prosecutor is lengthy and high-profile. In 2002, he got a promotion to the Homicide Unit of the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA), where he served Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa, and Irvine, among others.
In homicide, he tried not only homicide cases but also complex cases such as cold cases, no-body murders, and serial murderers, some of which attracted national publicity. He also worked on the Special Circumstances Committee of OCDA that he was on for some 13 years, and that committee considers special circumstance cases of murder and whether or not to pursue the death penalty.
During his tenure, Murphy also audited officer-involved shootings and custodial deaths. He presided over 200 criminal trials to verdict and over 100 jury trials. Murphy entered private practice, starting Matt Murphy Law APC, after seventeen years as a senior deputy district attorney in the OCDA Homicide Unit.
In this position he dedicates himself to the defense of selected criminal cases, sexual assault/abuse, personal injury litigation, and legal analysis. He is also a legal commentator at ABC News and has been featured on many television news networks like 20/20 and Good Morning America and on Hulu programs, where he discusses crime, issues to do with the legal system, and high-profile criminal cases.
He appears in true crime podcasts and at speaking engagements such as CrimeCon. In 2024, Murphy released The Book of Murder: A Prosecutor’s Journey through Love and Death, a memoir that also provides the reader with a view of the emotional burden of prosecution and philosophical questions of justice, power, and sacrifice. (turn0search5) (turn0search7)
Personal Life
There is publicly substantiated data regarding a romantic liaison of Matt Murphy (spouse, partner, children, etc.). In interviews and in his memoir, Murphy has admitted that his profession required heavy personal sacrifice, in the form of long hours, emotional weight, and the cost of dealing with gruesome murder cases, and that he never married or had children. This has been quoted in popular literature, such as in The Book of Murder.
Social Media Presence
Matt Murphy is also on social media, and he uses the handle @mattmurphylaw on Instagram with over 25K followers. His feed includes updates on his law practice, commentary on criminal justice matters, appearances in media, and occasionally behind-the-scenes glimpses into his courtroom or on cases. He also takes the services of sites such as LinkedIn to list his professional qualifications, experience, and published work.
Matt Murphy Net Worth
There exist no credible public disclosures or generally recognized values on the net worth of Matt Murphy. He probably earns money through a mix of private legal work, book sales, lectures, media appearances and legal analysis contracts. Since he has worked in senior positions in prosecutions, tried high-profile cases, and published and appeared on major platforms, it would be logical to place his net worth in the mid- to high six-figure range, although a precise figure is speculation.
