Netflix’s $20 Big Booty Prostitute Caught In A Homicide
The investigation into the tragic murder of sixty-two-year-old Patrick Murphy began in the vibrant heart of New Orleans during the bustling celebration of Mardi Gras. Patrick, a beloved businessman and successful jeweler from Pennsylvania, had traveled to Louisiana with his wife in late February 2019 for a much-needed vacation. The couple rented a cozy Airbnb situated in the historic French Quarter, spending their initial days immersed in the lively parades, festive atmosphere, and bustling nightlife that define the city.
On the evening of Wednesday, February twenty-seventh, Patrick and his wife returned to their rental around ten o’clock at night after attending a vibrant neighborhood parade. Exhausted from the day’s festivities, Patrick’s wife expressed a desire to rest and prepare for their scheduled departure back to Pennsylvania the following morning. Patrick, however, decided to enjoy a late-night cigar at a nearby lounge. He left the rental wearing his prized Rolex Submariner II watch, a luxury timepiece valued at thirty-seven thousand dollars, and carrying one thousand dollars in cash.
Security footage and subsequent witness statements later revealed a drastically different sequence of events than what was initially assumed. A Pennsylvania resident visiting New Orleans at the same time spotted Patrick near the busy intersection of Bourbon and Conti streets around midnight. According to the witness, Patrick was conversing with several unknown men when a taller, heavy-set woman approached him, exposed her breasts, and placed festive Mardi Gras beads around his neck. The two then entered the Mango Mango bar together to share drinks before heading toward the Empress Hotel.
Surveillance cameras at the Empress Hotel captured Patrick arriving with the woman around two in the morning on February twenty-eighth. The woman identified herself as twenty-five-year-old Megan Hall, presenting a Tennessee identification card to the front desk clerk. Patrick provided only his first name, Robert, and offered no official identification. The security footage clearly displayed Patrick’s expensive Rolex gleaming on his wrist as he stood beside Megan while she secured room one hundred ten, a small space featuring a single door opening directly into the first-floor hallway.
Witnesses staying in nearby room one hundred eight provided crucial testimony regarding the events that unfolded inside the hotel during the early morning hours. Around four in the morning, these guests heard a loud argument and a fierce physical struggle erupting from the adjacent room. During the altercation, a female voice was heard demanding that someone get into the bathroom. The violent commotion lasted approximately two minutes before falling completely silent, leaving the hallway quiet once again.
Just twelve minutes after the noises ceased, hotel surveillance cameras captured Megan leaving room one hundred ten entirely alone. The footage showed her walking briskly out of the front entrance and heading north on Ursuline Avenue. Investigators reviewing the extensive video logs made a critical observation, confirming that no one else had entered or exited room one hundred ten between the time Patrick and Megan arrived and the moment his lifeless body was eventually discovered by hotel staff.
The following day, routine maintenance rounds prompted a staff member to check room one hundred ten as checkout time approached. Finding the door partially ajar, the employee pushed it open and was met with a horrifying scene of blood covering the bed and walls. He immediately alerted the hotel owner, who possessed medical technician training and stepped inside briefly to check for vital signs, confirming that Patrick was deceased before calling emergency services. Police and emergency medical personnel quickly secured the location, initiating a full homicide investigation.
Detectives Guidry and Jefferson spearheaded the inquiry, interviewing hotel staff, reviewing comprehensive surveillance logs, and speaking with Patrick’s distraught wife. She had already reported her husband missing after waking up at five in the morning and finding he had never returned to their rental. Upon being informed of her husband’s murder, she confirmed the details of the valuable Rolex watch and the cash he had been carrying, noting that Patrick had previously fought off robbers and possessed a strong instinct to defend himself.
Utilizing the identification card Megan used at hotel check-in and records from a prior arrest involving a minor prostitution charge, law enforcement quickly compiled a comprehensive file on the suspect. On March third, 2019, Megan Hall turned herself in to the police department through her legal counsel. Although she initially declined to make any statements to investigators, subsequent forensic analysis provided overwhelming evidence against her.
Investigators executed a warrant to obtain a DNA sample from Megan, which was compared against biological evidence recovered from the crime scene, including a sexual assault kit and two condoms found inside the hotel room. The Louisiana State Police crime laboratory confirmed that the genetic profiles matched both Patrick Murphy and Megan Hall. Furthermore, investigators established a clear motive of armed robbery, noting that Patrick’s watch and cash were entirely missing, his left front pocket was turned inside out, and witnesses had heard a struggle inside the room.
Facing mounting evidence, Megan Hall ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter, armed robbery, and obstruction of justice. She received a twenty-five-year prison sentence at the Louisiana Transitional Center for Women, with a portion suspended under specific conditions. While legal proceedings concluded with her incarceration, the brutal crime left a lasting impact on the victim’s family, underscoring the severe dangers encountered during the fateful night in the French Quarter.
