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Letter to the editor

He 'never let me fall'

A crowd of 500 mourns the retired postal worker who was gunned down in his driveway.

By STEPHANIE GARRY
Published July 18, 2007

Mourners pay their respects to Amuel Murph and his family as pallbearers wheel his casket out of the Mt. Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church Tuesday afternoon after his funeral service. Murph was killed last week after a gunman shot him in his front yard while taking out the garbage. View, sign guestbook
	[Times photo: James Borchuck]

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: James Borchuck] From the pulpit, the Rev. Clarence Williams drew an analogy between Murph's death and Martin Luther King's, or to the jail time served by Nelson Mandela, or the crucifixion of Christ. "This man died a sacrificial death," Williams preached.

ST. PETERSBURG - Terri Murph recalled her father teaching her to ride a bike without training wheels, running after her as she rode down the street.

Amuel Murph was like that, she said, always there to help.

"My dad never let me fall - ever," Terri Murph said Tuesday before a crowd of about 500 people who had come to pay tribute to the retired postal worker.

Amuel Murph, 68, was gunned down Thursday morning in the driveway of his Lake Maggiore Shores home as he took out the trash.

Murph was a devout member of the Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, but his funeral was held next door at the Mount Zion Progressive Baptist Church because his church couldn't hold the crowd.

"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die," recited Minister Dexter McCree, with a white-suited choir swaying and singing behind him.

Mourners filed by the casket, some bending over to kiss Murph's cheek.

His wife, Mary, and daughters, Tangela and Terri, walked down the aisle to view a husband and father one last time. They each placed a hand on the shiny black casket lid and closed it, laying a folded-up flag on top, a nod to his two years in the Army.

From the pulpit, the Rev. Clarence Williams drew an analogy between Murph's death and Martin Luther King's, or to the jail time served by Nelson Mandela, or the crucifixion of Christ.

"This man died a sacrificial death," Williams preached.

He urged mourners to go home, swap their church outfits for jeans and T-shirts, and canvass the neighborhood for clues to Murph's murder.

"The best thing you can do for brother Murph is honor his sacrifice."

In the meantime, though, the mourners praised God and remembered.

Murph was a husband of 45 years. A retired mail handler who worked 28 years for the Postal Service. A landscaper who fussed over his yard. A Christian who joined the Sons of Allen, a male church group dedicated to serving God. A fan of football and the television show Law and Order.

His oldest daughter, Tangela Murph-Bailey, said her father was the softie of the family, the one she and her sister knew to go to for Icees or allowance. Supported by her husband, Bobby, she asked the congregation to express their love while their loved ones are living.

"If he would be here just to see this, he wouldn't have believed it," Murph-Bailey said, adding, "We will continue to pray that justice prevails."

Pierce Bryant recalled his days as Murph's neighbor. When Murph broke his leg, Bryant took over the mowing for him.

Later that summer, Bryant went on vacation and returned to find a groomed yard, compliments of Murph. "That's the kind of guy he was," Bryant said.

The Rev. Williams said he plans to sit down with community leaders to talk about the larger problem of crime and safety in St. Petersburg.

"I think the entire city is frustrated and angry," Williams said. "If we don't consider this tragedy in the right context, then we need to be willing to die at our front doors."

Times staff writer Abhi Raghunathan contributed to this report.

Fast Facts

Still seeking leads

St. Petersburg police continue to investigate Amuel Murph's killing. "We are following up on a number of investigative leads but we still need more help from the public," said police spokesman Bill Proffitt. Anyone with information can call Detective Gary Gibson at (727) 893-7164.

[Last modified July 17, 2007, 23:40:33]