Former Shelby County Prosecutor Indicted on Statutory Rape Charges - Articles

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Posted by: Azya Thornton on Mar 5, 2025

A former board member of Tennessee's Inmate Disciplinary Oversight Board and former Shelby County assistant district attorney has been indicted on statutory rape charges, the Commercial Appeal reports. Vanessa Murtaugh was indicted Feb. 27 on one count of statutory rape by an authority figure and one count of aggravated statutory rape. She resigned from the oversight board the next day. The indictment states that the victim was 17 years old at the time and that Murtaugh used her legal, professional or occupational status to facilitate the alleged crime. Murtaugh was booked into custody Monday, with bail set at $50,000.