Chubbuck man faces multiple charges after fight, phone calls from jail

CHUBBUCK — A man who was arrested for attempting to strangle a woman has also been charged after he allegedly begged her from jail not to press charges.

Coleton Paul Murphy, 31, has been charged with felonies for attempted strangulation and intimidating a witness, court records show. He also faces a misdemeanor charge for violating a no-contact order.

March 25

Chubbuck police received a report of a physical fight at a home on Chickadee Drive before 2 p.m., according to an affidavit of probable cause.

When officers arrived, they spoke with a woman who told them that the man involved in the fight, identified as Murphy, had left and was walking east on Chickadee Drive.

Officers requested EMS to provide medical care for the woman.

Having previously dealt with Murphy, officers identified him near Chickadee Drive and Hiline Road. Officers approached him with tasers pointed at him and commanded him to stop and raise his hand. He complied and was placed under arrest.

Murphy told officers he had been involved in a fight with the woman, the affidavit says. He said that in the course of an argument, the woman pushed him and then punched him several times.

He said he tried to leave, but remembered he had items inside the woman’s car — which she had entered after the scuffle. Murphy told officers he tried to get into the car, breaking the handle of the passenger door. That was when he left, walking east, Murphy told officers.

The victim told police that the argument turned physical when Murphy threw a computer hard drive, hitting her in the leg. She said he then grabbed her by the neck with both hands and held her against a window. She told officers that she punched Murphy in the face out of self-defense.

The victim told the officers that, once outside of the home, Murphy threw another computer part at her car, broke the passenger-door handle, then threatened to kill her.

She played an audio recording of the portion of the incident that took place outside.

According to the affidavit, two voices can be heard in the audio recording. First, a woman’s voice, the officers identified as the victim’s, says she does not feel safe.

Then a male voice, the officers identified as being Murphy’s, says, “You shouldn’t.” Then the woman says, “I’ll kill you.” To which the male responds, “Not if I kill you first.”

The woman can then be heard screaming and saying “Ow,” the affidavit reads.

Officers spoke with Murphy again. He said, several times, that he would never put his hand on a woman, the affidavit says.

Because the stories both people were offering matched in some details but not others, one of the officers called the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office. The officer was told to arrest Murphy for attempted strangulation.

Murphy was placed under arrest. At the time, officers asked to take pictures of Murphy’s injuries. He declined, saying, “Why? It doesn’t matter, you’re not taking her to jail,” the affidavit says.

“There is only one of us in handcuffs, and it’s the one that didn’t do anything,” Murphy added, according to the affidavit. “So I’m not giving you your pictures. You can f*** off.”

Officers were able to take pictures of injuries sustained by the woman. According to the affidavit, that consisted primarily of a raised bump on her forehead. The affidavit also describes her as having puffy eyes but does not state if that was from an injury or crying.

Murphy was taken to Bannock County Jail, where he was booked and held on a $10,000 bond. A no-contact order was also issued, barring Murphy from contact with the victim.

March 28

Chubbuck police received a call from the victim just before 10 a.m. She said that Murphy had called her from jail — a violation of the no-contact order.

Officers examined calls made by Murphy from Bannock County Jail.

His first call, according to the affidavit, was to the victim.

Murphy allegedly told the victim that he was facing up to 15 years in prison if she pressed charges. He then asked if she planned to pursue charges, to which she responded that she was.

“Then I will die in prison, thank you,” he responded, according to the police report.

The call lasted several minutes, with Murphy begging the victim not to put him in jail.

Due to his multiple attempts to prevent the victim from pressing charges, an additional charge of intimidating a witness was filed.

An officer spoke with the victim again and learned that she had received text messages from a number she was not familiar with. One of the messages said claimed that they were related to someone who was in jail with another person who wanted to call the victim.

The officer checked calls made to the phone number that was texting the victim and learned that Todd Frandsen had called the number on numerous occasions.

Because the call made it apparent that Frandsen had been provided incorrect information about Murphy and the victim, no charges will be pursued against him or the person he called.

When officers informed Murphy of the new charges — a felony for intimidating a witness and a misdemeanor for violating a no-contact order — he allegedly told the officer that he did know he wasn’t allowed to ask the victim not to press charges.

Though Murphy has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

If he is found guilty, Murphy could spend up to 21 years in prison.

He is scheduled to appear in court before Magistrate Judge Carol Tippi Jarman for a preliminary hearing on April 17.