A Lancaster man was convicted this week of illegal possession of a pistol, which he had while on parole for a robbery conviction.
A Lancaster County jury found 24-year-old Kenny Murph guilty of a felony count of persons not to possess firearms.
First Assistant District Attorney Christopher P. Larsen presented evidence at a two-day trial that Murph had a .38-caliber Ruger pistol under his seat when Lancaster city police pulled over a vehicle on July 5, 2017.
Murph was convicted of robbery in 2014 and served a state-prison sentence. He was on parole at the time of the 2017 incident. The robbery conviction prohibits Murph from having a firearm.
The jury deliberated for about 40 minutes Tuesday before deciding the case about 11:40 a.m.
Lancaster County Judge Jeffery Wright, who presided over the trial, raised Murph’s bail to $150,000, which was not posted. (Murph had been out on $15,000 bail.)
Judge Wright will order sentence after a background check.
Lancaster city police investigators were among those to testify about the pistol, which had its serial number scratched out.
Lancaster city police Officer Isaac Witmer filed charges.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright