Dwayne Murray of Mount Vernon, the 62-year-old Executive Director of the Mount Vernon Junior Knights and Assistant Coach of the Mount Vernon High School boys basketball team, was arrested on first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday afternoon, May 15.
Prosecutors allege that from October 1, 2023, to March 1, 2024, Murray committed two or more acts of sexual conduct, including oral sexual conduct, with the victim.
He was arraigned before Mount Vernon City Court Judge Peter Davis and remanded to Westchester County Jail, where he will remain pending further proceedings. Murray is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday, June 4.
“There is no criminal conduct more reprehensible than sex crimes targeting children,” said District Attorney Susan Cacace in a statement, adding, “As soon as my office was made aware of this situation, we acted swiftly to arrest Mr. Murray and ensure the victim’s continued safety.”
If convicted, Murray faces up to 25 years in state prison.
The arrest comes after Murray posted a video on his Facebook page on Monday, May 5, calling the accusations against him a “smear campaign to silence me, plain and simple.”
According to Murray, the accusations come from those with a vested interest in supporting incumbent school board candidates in the city’s upcoming election.
“They’re making all sorts of unfounded accusations against people they think are getting in the way. I am one of those people,” Murray said in the video.
“While I do share my opinion on the way much of this board and the ones who hide in the shadows have run this school district into the ground, I want to make it crystal clear: I’ve never ever done anything inappropriate with the players on my team or any team for that matter,” Murray said, also encouraging district families to cooperate with any investigation into his conduct.
The District Attorney’s Office is urging anyone with additional information about the case or about Murray to contact their tip line.
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