A Westchester County youth basketball coach has been charged by authorities with molesting a young girl at least twice over five months, prosecutors said on Thursday.
62-year-old Dwayne Murray, who led the technical bench of the Mount Vernon Junior Knights basketball team, was ordered held without bail after being hit with a felony charge of sexual conduct against a child, said the Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace at a press briefing.
Cacace stated that Murray made “some admissions” concerning the alleged abuse.
RELATED STORIES
“It is alleged that between Oct. 1, 2023, and March 1, 2023, Murray engaged in two or more acts of sexual conduct with a child who is less than 13 years old, including one act of oral sexual conduct,” she said.
“There is no crime we take more seriously than offenses committed against children, especially offenses of a sexual nature.”
On April 12, Cacace said police reportedly got a tip about the alleged abuse and began looking into the matter.
Murray’s phone and electronic devices were then seized by cops, and to their amazement, they found that “the defendant had exchanged text messages with the victim in which he discussed performing oral sex on the victim.”
On Wednesday, the now-charged youth basketball coach was arrested and arraigned in Mount Vernon City Court.
His shocking arrest came after Murray posted a six-minute video on Facebook, where he alleged that the allegations were “absolutely, completely false,” per a lohud.com report.
On Thursday, Cacace chose not to reveal whether the young victim played on Murray’s team or where the alleged sexual abuse unfolded.
READ ALSO: 19-year-old charged with shooting four men, killing two, over alleged attack on brother
The Junior Knights are part of the suburban city’s storied basketball program, but now face a truly difficult time after Dwayne Murray’s arrest in relation to the sexual assault of the young female player.
