Police and the community are baffled about why a young Guilderland man held four people hostage at an Albany bank Saturday before hanging himself in the bank manager’s office.

After the five-hour standoff, police interviewed the family of 22-year-old Sean David Murphy, but got no answers, said Albany Police Detective James Miller.

Murphy did not appear to be on drugs and he did not have a history of mental illness, Miller said. Murphy had, however, received treatment for emotional problems in the past, a spokesman for the Albany County District Attorney’s office told The Enterprise yesterday.

The hostages were not physically harmed in Saturday’s incident and police believe Murphy may have panicked before killing himself, as he said he was not going to go back to jail, Miller told The Enterprise.
"Regardless of these horrific events, we must remember that a family has lost a young man," said Mary Jean Coleman, of the Samaritan suicide-prevention program.

The Enterprise interviewed Murphy in March of 2004. He had called the newspaper, excited about a new business he started, called PetPort.

Guilderland needed a pet transportation and sitting service, he had said. He loved animals, he said, and was happy making money taking Guilderland pets to the veterinarian, groomer, or kennel.

Murphy, a Guilderland High School graduate, ran the business out of his mother’s home on Angelina Terrace. During the interview, Murphy wore a jacket with the PetPort logo embroidered on the front. He told The Enterprise of his dreams for the business as his mother, Kerry Murphy, beamed with pride.

Murphy described his love for animals and he playfully wrestled with the family’s golden retriever, Teddy.
"All animals like me," Murphy told The Enterprise then.
"He’s learned some tricks from the pet-sitters’ association," his mother said. For cats, she said, her son puts catnip on the cuffs of his pants. For dogs, he carries treats in his pocket, she said.

After the interview, Sean Murphy appeared twice on the Enterprise blotters page.

On Aug. 20, 2004, Murphy was arrested for driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor.

A little over a month later, Murphy was arrested again, this time for third-degree burglary, a felony, and possession of burglary tools, a misdemeanor. He did not return phone calls to The Enterprise for comment after the incident.

Guilderland Police said then that, at 1:45 a.m. on Sept. 28, they responded to a burglar alarm at Gade Farm, at 2479 Western Ave. When searching the building, police said, officers found Murphy in the farm’s office with the door locked.

Murphy refused to give a written statement, but admitted to using a knife to pick the lock on the back door and then on the office door, the arrest report said. He also admitted to breaking into the building to look for money, police said, and he told officers he broke into the building a month before, too.

Murphy was wearing a black knit cap, dark clothing, and a pair of green rubber gloves at the time of the burglary, police said. He carried a backpack which contained two sets of truck keys, later identified as belonging to farm trucks owned by Gade Farm, the report said.

On May 12, 2005, Murphy pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired in Guilderland Town Court, for his first offense. He paid a $300 fine and an $80 surcharge. He was also sentenced to attend drinking-and-driving school and a victims’ impact panel and his license was suspended.

On March 17, 2005, Murphy pleaded guilty to petit larceny for the Gade Farm incident. He was sentenced to three years of probation; 100 hours of community service; the continuation of treatment for emotional problems; resititution; and to apologize, said Richard Arthur, a spokesman for the Albany County District Attorney.

Although the larceny plea involved no jail time, Murphy had spent a week in jail after his Sept. 28, 2004 arrest, before posting bail, according to a spokesman at Albany County’s jail.

The incident

His desire not to return to jail may have motivated his suicide after Murphy bungled the bank robbery attempt last week.

At 1 p.m. on Saturday, Albany Police received an alarm from Trustco Bank, on Madison Avenue. One officer was near the bank and got to the scene first, Detective Miller said. The officer saw Murphy in the bank, wearing camouflage clothing and a helmet, and carrying a backpack, Miller said.
"He realized it was a robbery and called for other units," Miller said. Within minutes, several police cars surrounded the bank, he said.

Using duct tape he had brought with him, Murphy then bound the three female employees who were in the bank at the time and one male customer, Miller said. Murphy had them lie on the floor, Miller said, and he took the cash from the bank drawers and placed the money in his backpack.

He also had garden shears and several knives in his backpack, Miller said.

An Albany detective, who is also a hostage negotiator, spoke with Murphy several times on the phone, Miller said. Murphy told the detective that he was waiting for a ride and that he wanted police to back off, Miller said.

Murphy didn’t make any other demands, Miller said, but he told police that, if they attempted anything, the hostages would be harmed. Murphy also told the negotiator that he was not going back to jail, Miller said.

After a few hours, Murphy cut off phone contact with the negotiator, Miller said. Police then decided to enter the bank, through its back door, he said.

The State Police used a helicopter as a diversion, Miller said. The helicopter hovered 25 feet over the bank, he said, which made a lot of noise.

Police officers came in through the bank’s back door at this time, Miller said, and they hid.

At the same time, an unmarked Federal Bureau of Investigation vehicle pulled in front of the bank, Miller said. Investigators used a public-address system to try to talk to Murphy, he said.

After 10 or 15 minutes, the hostages, who had freed themselves, came out of the bank, Miller said.

They indicated that Murphy had killed himself, Miller said. Police found that Murphy had tried to cut his throat with garden shears and he then hanged himself, Miller said.

He was found in the bank manager’s office, at about 6:30 p.m., Miller said.

Other than being emotionally drained and frightened, the hostages were not harmed, Miller said.

After the incident, police spoke with Murphy’s family to try to get an idea of why he’d do such a thing, Miller said. Police asked if Murphy had a drug dependency or if he was mentally ill, Miller said.

They found he did not and police are still puzzled as to why this happened, Miller said.
"Like a puzzle"

Members of the community have to be sensitive to Murphy’s family now, said Coleman, director of the Samaritan suicide-prevention program in Troy. People shouldn’t pass judgment on what led to his death, she told The Enterprise this week; they should realize that the family is dealing with a loss like any other.
"From the start, we have to remember a young man did take his own life," Coleman said. "Whatever the circumstances that surround it, we still lost a young man. We can’t make a judgment on the death."

Friends and acquaintances of Murphy’s family should reach out to them and help them grieve, she said.

Since Murphy commented to police about not wanting to go back to jail, Coleman speculated that he panicked and killed himself.
"But, there are many factors that contribute to suicide," she said.
Some people who kill themselves are reported to have done so because a boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with them, she said. But, she said, the breakup might just have been "the straw that broke the camel’s back."
Of Murphy, she said, "Maybe the thought of jail was the straw."

A suicide is like a puzzle with hundreds of pieces scattered all over the ground, Coleman said. People struggle to put all the pieces together, which is often impossible, she said.

Coleman’s brother killed himself over 25 years ago, she said, and she’s still trying to piece together all the reasons. She will probably never know, she said.
Asked how her family dealt with the loss, Coleman said, "The resources that were available were far more scarce than now. We dealt with it as a family unit, being able to talk."

One of the best resources for families now is support groups, she said. Samaritan offers support groups for those who have attempted or have thought about suicide and for the family and friends of those who have killed themselves.

No clear answers exist as to the method of suicide a person chooses or the circumstances, Coleman said. It’s impossible to tell why Murphy killed himself the way he did, she said.

Of his being worried about jail, she said, it’s not uncommon for those involved in a crime to kill themselves or execute suicide by cop, that is, act in a threatening manner that forces police to shoot them.

Although she doesn’t have statistics, Coleman said that suicide is a big issue in prison.

In New York State, Coleman said, about 1,600 people kill themselves each year. But, she said, that number could be higher because not all suicides are reported.
"How many times does a teen drink a six-pack of beer and get in a one-car accident"" she asked. "That’s ruled as an accident, but it could be a suicide."

Samaritan’s confidential hotline, serving the Capital Region, gets between 8,000 and 10,000 calls a year, Coleman said. Many of the callers report that they have already attempted suicide in the past, she said, but their injuries are nursed at home and not reported.
"The more we do to break down the awful stigma and silence that surrounds mental-health issues and thoughts of suicide, the more we make it okay to talk about it," said Coleman. "We can help people through this."

Untreated depression is a mental health issue that leads to suicide, she said, but it can be treated with therapy and medication.
Although perhaps not in Murphy’s case, some warning signs do appear before a person kills himself, Coleman said.

The biggest sign is that a person changes, for better or worse, she said. For example, she said, a child who is always quiet in school, who suddenly is raising his hand, might be sending the message that he doesn’t want to be remembered as the quiet kid.

Sometimes when someone is thinking of suicide they say so, Coleman said, either directly or with vague comments. Even the smallest indication of suicide should be taken seriously, she said.
"One of the biggest, deadliest myths about suicide," Coleman said, is that, if a friend or family member talks about it, it will give the person the idea to do it.

If someone is giving off warning signs, he probably has already thought about suicide, Coleman said. Friends or family members should immediately ask him if he’s thinking about killing himself and let him know they care, she said.
"Don’t be afraid to ask," she said. "You’re letting them know that you care enough to ask about it."

Anyone feeling suicidal, Coleman said, should call Samaritan’s hotline, at 689-HOPE or the national suicide prevention hotline, at 1-800-273-TALK.
"It’s comforting to know there’s a place where you can call anonymously and confidentially, where you will be listened to," Coleman said.