A 63-year-old Mount Vernon man who once ran a local youth basketball program has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a girl younger than 13, admitting in court to a pattern of abuse he had publicly denied for months as a politically motivated attack. Dwayne Murray entered his plea to first-degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child, a violent felony, closing out a case that began with a tip to investigators more than a year ago.
According to DailyVoice, Murray subjected the girl to two or more acts of sexual conduct in Mount Vernon between October 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024, including at least one act of oral sexual conduct. Murray served as executive director of the Mount Vernon Junior Knights and also worked as an assistant coach for the Mount Vernon High School boys' basketball team, positions prosecutors say gave him access to the child. He is now expected to spend over a decade in state prison, the outlet reports.
The case traces back to a tip received by the Westchester County District Attorney's Criminal Investigators Squad, which set off an investigation by the DA's Special Prosecutions Division. Per the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, that tip arrived on April 12, 2025, leading to Murray's arrest on May 14, 2025, and an arraignment in Mount Vernon City Court before Judge Peter Davis.
Digital Evidence and a Confession
Investigators interviewed Murray, the victim, and other witnesses, and used search warrants to examine electronic devices, which turned up sexually inappropriate text messages exchanged between Murray and the girl. During those interviews, Murray admitted his involvement in the crime, according to the DA's office. The evidence-gathering was carried out by the DA's Hi-Tech Unit and prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Charlotte Gudis.
After his arrest, Murray posted a Facebook video denying the accusations and calling them a politically motivated “smear campaign,” insisting he had never done anything inappropriate with players. District Attorney Susan Cacace later said Murray exploited his position of authority to gain the girl's trust and then used his public platform to deny the allegations after the abuse. Cacace said the defendant's predatory conduct and persistent lies compounded the victim's trauma.
Charges Escalated Before the Plea
What started as a Class B felony complaint grew more serious as the case moved through court. On December 9, 2025, a Westchester County grand jury indicted Murray on an upgraded charge of Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child, a Class A felony carrying a maximum of 25 years to life, in addition to the Course of Sexual Conduct charge, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office. At his December arraignment, Judge Robert Prisco ordered Murray remanded without bail to the Westchester County Jail and issued a temporary order of protection for the victim, and he remained detained through his guilty plea this month.
By pleading guilty to the Class B violent felony rather than facing trial on the top Class A charge, Murray resolves the case with a guilty plea but still faces mandatory state prison time. The alleged conduct occurred over at least three months and involved a child under 13.
Mandatory Registration and School District Response
A conviction on this charge also triggers mandatory registration under the New York Sex Offender Registration Act. Murray also faces 20 years of post-release supervision. In May 2025, District Attorney Cacace said all charged acts of abuse in the case involved a single victim and urged anyone else who believed they had been victimized by Murray to come forward.
The DA also placed the case within a broader countywide push against people in positions of public trust accused of child abuse, pointing to concurrent cases involving an Eastchester school official and a Peekskill teacher.
Shortly after Murray's arrest, Mount Vernon City School District Acting Superintendent Dr. K. Veronica Smith clarified that Murray had only ever been a volunteer coach and that the Junior Knights program was entirely independent of the public school district. District officials said no district students were known to be connected to the case. Anyone who believes they or someone they know was victimized by Murray is asked to contact their local police department or the DA's multilingual tips line at 914-995-TIPS (8477).
