TALLAHASSEE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO COMMUNICATING THREATS TO INJURE CHILDREN

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - Demetrius Alpha Omega Murray, 33, has pleaded guilty in federal court regarding the six-count Indictment for interstate communication of threats to injure children. The allegations in the Indictment caused the lockdown of three Tallahassee area schools. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the guilty plea.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "This defendant's heinous, violent threats directed toward innocent children are despicable and I am very proud of the swift, aggressive prosecution by my office to hold him accountable for his criminal threats. Keeping our kids safe from violent predators, like this defendant, will always be a top priority for 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.

Sentencing is scheduled before United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle on April 16, 2026, at 2:00pm, in Tallahassee, Florida. Murray faces a maximum of five years imprisonment on each threat count.

The case was investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff's Office, and the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office. The case is being 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, human and drug trafficking.

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