TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Tallahassee man who threatened local schools to evade debt collection last year has now been sentenced to over 5 years (64 months) in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Florida.
Demetrius Murray pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of interstate communication of threats to injure children.
Court records show that on Nov. 14 2025, Murray contacted a California law firm that was trying to collect from him on a defaulted business loan. He reportedly made several emails, phone calls and one video to them, threatening to commit a school shooting at Kate Sullivan Elementary School if they continued to attempt to collect from him.
More Tallahassee news:
“The threats were accompanied by a video that the defendant recorded as he sat in a parked vehicle beside the school playground, during which he directed his threats towards children playing nearby and brandished a 9-millimeter handgun to illustrate his threats were serious,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Florida said.
Those threats were reported to law enforcement, which led to a closed campus protocol at Kate Sullivan Elementary and nearby schools, Cobb Middle School and Leon High School. Murray was arrested in Gadsden County by the sheriff’s office less than two hours later.
He admitted to investigators that he made the threats to the school and told investigators where to find the handgun displayed in his video.
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said law enforcement responds swiftly to school threats.
When someone threatens violence against our schools, we respond immediately and with every available resource. These cases create real fear for students, parents, and educators, and we will continue working alongside our local, state, and federal partners to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. I am incredibly grateful for the collaborative efforts that led to this sentence.
Murray is required to serve another three years on supervised release and participate in a mental health evaluation and treatment following his release.
The case was investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office.
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