Convicted murderer resentenced on parole violations

Jul. 27—WILKES-BARRE — A convicted murderer released from state prison in 2019 after serving nearly 20 years for a fatal shooting of a teenager in Wilkes-Barre was re-sentenced Thursday on multiple parole violations.

Gary Murphy, 42, was sentenced to up to two years in prison and an additional 14 years probation for the infractions by Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr.

Murphy pled guilty to third-degree murder in the death of Jerald Rollie McCloe, 17, on South Welles Street on Dec. 14, 1998. Court records and previous published reports say the shooting was about a broken window.

Former Judge Joseph Augello initially sentenced Murphy in 1999 to five-to-10 years in state prison followed by 20 years of special probation. Once released on parole, Murphy was re-sentenced in May 2009 to 10-to-20 years in prison for parole violations.

Murphy was released again on parole in 2019 and continued to receive parole infractions consisting of alcohol use, drunken driving arrest, failure to maintain and keep full-time employment and failing to meet with his parole agent.

According to Murphy's supervision report from the state parole department, Murphy has repeated violations of alcohol consumption and continuing to be unemployed. Murphy once violated parole when he left Pennsylvania without permission and was found in Atlantic City, N.J.

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