Thomas Anthony Murphy II was found guilty on all counts Thursday in the fatal shooting of a Grants Pass man in Central Point in 2022. 

A Jackson County Circuit Court jury deliberated for four-and-a-half hours after the four-day trial. The jury found the 38-year-old Medford man guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Nicholas Steven Davis on Oct. 13, 2022. The jury also found Murphy guilty of two counts of attempted murder, one count of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and tampering with a witness. 

The jury also voted “yes” that one of the counts of attempted murder constituted domestic violence, because one of the victims in the case, Athena Rene Pearson, was Murphy’s girlfriend. The other person Murphy attempted to kill was Wendie Sigmon, a friend of Pearson.

Both women testified in the trial. They told jurors that they went with Davis to a gravel pullout near the Denman Wildlife Area along Kirtland Road in Central Point to help Pearson retrieve her belongings from Murphy after the couple broke up.

Murphy was at the pullout when the women arrived with Davis. Murphy spoke privately with Pearson, saying he could kill anyone, Pearson testified, adding that she thought at the time he was joking. He did not give Pearson her possessions back, and as he was driving away opened fire, twice striking Davis, who died after being transported to a hospital.

On Thursday, Murphy stood for the verdict when asked by Judge Laura Cromwell, and he did not appear to have a visible reaction to the reading of the verdicts.

Murphy’s defense attorney, Michael Bertholf, and Senior Deputy District Attorney Michael Cohen refused comment after the verdicts were read. 

Prior to their deliberations, jurors heard from Murphy, the only witness called by his attorney. He was questioned Thursday by both Bertholf and Senior Deputy District Attorney Michael Cohen. 

Murphy told Cohen that he shot Davis because he was “scared for my life as (Davis) raised his weapon toward me. I almost died.”

No one during the trial testified that Davis raised a weapon, and police said the gun was found in his car, and Davis was shot outside the vehicle.

Murphy later told Bertholf that Davis was “mean-mugging” him — a term used to describe one person staring down another with the suggestion that there could be violence.

Murphy said during testimony he did not see where Davis went after being shot. 

Murphy told Cohen that when he eluded police, he was “in shock” and “distraught.”

“I wanted to get as far away as possible,” Murphy said. 

He eventually was arrested without incident in Ashland. 

In closing arguments, Cohen told the jury he thought Murphy’s statements were “self-serving,” because his testimony did not align with what other witnesses said.

Cohen said Murphy fired his pistol attempting to kill Pearson and Sigmon and successfully killing Davis, because he was angry that his girlfriend broke up with him.

“This isn’t about Nicholas Davis being aggressive … this about Athena Pearson leaving him,” Cohen said. “If he couldn’t have her, certainly no one could.”

Bertholf told jurors Thursday that his client acted in self-defense. Murphy, Bertholf said, “wasn’t trying to kill anybody, he was just trying to get away.”

Bertholf said Murphy is guilty of eluding police after the killing, but not for tampering with a witness. On Wednesday, jurors heard Murphy tell Pearson in a phone call from the Jackson County Jail the he wanted her to profess his innocence to a lawyer. 

“It’s not unlawful or illegal to lie to an attorney,” Bertholf said. “Is it smart? No, absolutely not.”

Murphy is due in court for sentencing Oct. 6.