Tallahassee Man Sentenced to Over Five Years in Federal Prison for Communicating Threats to Injure Children

Tallahassee, Florida - Demetrius Alpha Omega Murray, 33, has been sentenced to 64 months in federal prison as a result of his guilty plea to six-counts of interstate communication of threats to injure children. The threats caused the lockdown of three Tallahassee-area public schools, and the closing of the campuses on several other area public and private schools. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentence.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "Thanks to the quick investigative work by our local law enforcement partners, this dangerous individual was caught before he could act on the dangerous criminal threats he made, and this successful prosecution by my office ensures he will be kept behind bars where he belongs for several years. Anyone who makes violent criminal threats, especially directed toward innocent children, will face aggressive prosecution by my office."

Court records show that on November 14, 2025, the defendant made contact with representatives of a California law firm that was attempting to collect the defendant's defaulted business loan. During the contact, which included multiple telephone calls and emails, the defendant threatened to commit a school shooting if the firm continued its collection efforts, directing his threats at students at Kate Sullivan Elementary School. The threats were accompanied by a video that the defendant recorded as he sat in a parked vehicle beside the school playground, during which he directed his threats towards children playing nearby and brandished a 9-millimeter handgun to illustrate his threats were serious.

The threats to commit violence were quickly relayed to law enforcement in the Tallahassee area, including the Tallahassee Police Department and Leon County Sheriff's Office, resulting in the lockdown of Kate Sullivan Elementary School, as well as Cobb Middle School and Leon High School, both of which are located in close proximity. Investigators were quickly able to locate the defendant in Gadsden County, where he was taken into custody by the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office. Murray admitted to investigators he had made the telephonic and email threats and directed officers to the location of the handgun he had been pictured with earlier. Investigators recovered the handgun, which matched the weapon pictured during the video he had recorded while parked beside the Kate Sullivan playground.

"When someone threatens violence against our schools, we respond immediately and with every available resource," said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. "These cases create real fear for students, parents, and educators, and we will continue working alongside our local, state, and federal partners to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. I am incredibly grateful for the collaborative efforts that led to this sentence."

As part of the sentence, upon release Murray will be required to serve three years on supervised release and undergo mental health evaluation and treatment.

The case was investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, Leon County Sheriff's Office, and the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K Mountin.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.