Joe Murphy is a man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting Eric Aquino to the point where he was close to death.
History[]
When Jayvon Brown was arrested after being accused of assaulting Eric and harassing a woman named Colleen Reynolds and her child, Dylan, Joe took videos of the scene and uploaded them online chatting Defund The Police and Black Lives Matter. He soon became a suspect in the case after Jayvon was acquitted. When his DNA on his mask matched the DNA found at the crime scene, Joe told the detectives that he was harassed by Eric who offered him a blowjob and Joe pushed him away.
The detectives aren't convinced and take the case to trial. Joe eventually testifies after initially not agreeing to and changes what he told on the stand. Compared to what he told the Special Victims Unit, he alleged he met Eric at a bar, took several substances with him, and had consensual sex, claiming to have nothing to do with Eric's attack. He alleged the police made him tell his account to them under the duress of the investigation, and he was afraid to say his account on the stand because he was bisexual and didn't want to shock his mother and fiancé. He alleges being a "victim" of the police like Eric and Jayvon.
After several hours, the jury remain in a deadlock and Joe is a free man, which angers Carisi. Eric's family are later informed of Joe's release and are outraged, blaming the NYPD for arresting Jayvon and creating an opening for Joe to exploit. (SVU: "Guardians and Gladiators")