Roxbury Gang Murders – John F. Murray

John Murray was the older brother of William Murray. John was present at the time of the murder of William T. Treannie, which is written about later. Setting aside Janice O’Keefe who said she was also present at the Treannie murder, two others were at the scene, John’s brother William and Robert Cook. William and Cook would be indicted for Treannie’s murder.  

John’s record went back to 1946. He had been sent to prison over that time for robbery and burglary. In August 1964, he had been released from prison after serving five years of an 8 to 10 year sentence for burglary. He wasn’t on the street for three months when he was in the room in the apartment where Treannie was murdered.  

Like Nathan Colsia who was murdered in November 1962. Murray’s body was found in the Port Norfolk section of Dorchester. Like Colsia, Murray had money on him showing robbery was not the motive. Like Francis Benjamin, who had been released from Walpole two weeks before he was murdered, Murray likewise was released a short time before. 

It was reported that the Boston detectives were using simple logic to connect Murray’s killing to be “a revenge crime for the Treannie rub-out.” Doubtful.  It is hard to find anyone who was that interested doing anything for Treannie who was a hang around  criminal barely clinging to the threads of sanity. 

The question on people’s mind was whether Murray was killed because he was witness to Treannie’s murder. It would seem unlikely that Murray with his criminal record would make him a good witness. Even with that, the police already had a witness, Janice O’Keefe. 

These facts would mean that Murray would have to have been murdered by his brother, William.  At the trial for Treannie’s murder, William Murray, a defendant, tried to pin the murder on his brother, John, who was dead at that time.  William’s tactic would have worked whether John was dead or alive. It may have been even better were John alive and came in to testify that he was innocent. With his record, the jury would have seen John, heard his record, and easily believed that John was wholly capable of the murder.  

The trial took place with both William Murray and Robert Cook as defendants. Janice O’Keefe, who said she witnessed the events, testified that Cook did the murder. Cook was convicted; William Murray was acquitted. 

What suggests this was neither a “revenge” killing or a “witness” murder is the money in the pocket. In those type murders taking the money is done to make it look like a robbery and, especially in revenge killings, to strip the victim of everything.  

A better reason for his murder existed. It was reported John had robbed the wrong people. This is obvious after you read about the Rasmussen murder next. I suggest the best evidence put this squarely in the Wimpy Bennett murder group.