A former Florida drama school teacher escaped a prison sentence Wednesday after taking a plea deal in connection with the sexual battery of a 14-year-old boy.
Brittiny Lopez-Murray, 33, has entered a guilty plea for six charges, including lewd and lascivious battery, lewd and lascivious molestation involving a child aged 12 to 16, and electronic transmission harmful to minors.
According to NBC South Florida, Murray was “sentenced to two years of community control,” followed by 10 years of probation. She’s also required to register as a sex offender and attend mental health counseling for sex offenders with mental disorders.
The victim’s parents reportedly approved of the plea deal.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Murray, who was named “rookie teacher of the year” at Hialeah Middle School in 2017, had sex with the boy in her car on numerous instances, starting in August 2021.
The victim’s father got involved after his daughter noticed the victim acting odd while on the phone, leading her to find “explicit text messages and photos” between the boy and the teacher.
The father then saw a nude photo on his son’s phone that Lopez-Murray sent.
The victim later told police that Lopez-Murray sent him a text in August and revealed she had feelings for him. Police said the pair met for coffee, which led to multiple dates where they would have sexual encounters in the teacher’s car, including in the parking lot of the Westland Mall and a Publix.
“The defendant also groomed, enticed, encouraged the victim to send child pornography images by writing things such as, ‘perfect, and yum,’” an arrest affidavit read.
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[Feature Photo: Brittiny Lopez-Murray/Hialeah Middle School]
