A Prince George’s County firefighter has been sentenced to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to distributing and possessing child pornography.
Joshua Edmund Murphy, 36, pled guilty to two charges of child pornography distribution and four counts of child pornography possession, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson stated on September 2.
Murphy was sentenced to 40 years in jail, with all but ten years suspended, followed by five years on supervised probation.
Murphy had previously been charged in connection with an investigation that began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children informed authorities about child pornography uploaded on the chat app Kik.
According to the charging paperwork in the case, police connected the online activity to an internet connection at Chillum Firehouse Company 44 on Riggs Road, which led to Murphy’s cellphone.
Murphy was a lieutenant in Prince George’s County Fire/EMS when he was arrested in October 2025.
The matter was later heard in Prince George’s County Circuit Court. Court documents show that a superseding indictment issued in March 2026 included three felony counts of promoting or distributing child pornography, as well as 44 possession counts.
Murphy ultimately pled guilty to six of the charges.
“Those entrusted with protecting our communities are held to a high standard,” Jackson stated. “A firefighter is someone we call when we need help, which makes this defendant’s actions extremely disturbing.”
According to Jackson, Murphy’s conviction and imprisonment hold him accountable for acts that broke the community’s trust.
“No one is above the law,” Jackson stated. “My office will continue to advocate for our most vulnerable residents, especially our children, and hold individuals accountable who seek to exploit them.”
Court records show that the case came before Circuit Court Judge Dorothy M. Engel on September 1.
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