A Scranton man convicted of murdering a teen in Wilkes-Barre over two decades ago is accused of violating his parole by selling cocaine to an undercover informant and subsequently being caught in possession of methamphetamine, crack and heroin.
Gary Murphy Jr., 46, was arrested in Scranton on drug-trafficking charges in August, and now Luzerne County probation officers are seeking to revoke his parole in the 1998 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Jearald “Rollie” McCloe.
Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. has scheduled a revocation hearing for Wednesday afternoon.
Murphy pleaded guilty to third-degree murder for fatally shooting McCloe after he accused Murphy, then 18, of shooting a window with a BB gun on South Welles Street in Wilkes-Barre on Dec. 14, 1998.
Murphy was originally sentenced to 10-20 years in prison followed by 20 years of special probation, but had two years added to his sentence in July 2023 after he was caught drinking alcohol in violation of court orders.
Court records show Murphy’s parole was revoked again in February 2025, although he was granted parole again a month later.
This August, state police, working alongside investigators from Throop and the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office, arrested Murphy after he sold an informant cocaine at 112 Green Place in Scranton.
A search of the property turned up 57 grams of meth along with several grams each of cocaine, crack, heroin and marijuana, police allege. Murphy is also accused of possessing 36 ecstasy pills, drug paraphernalia and $690 in cash, including marked money from the sting operation.
Murphy continues to be held at the Lackawanna County Prison with bail set at $250,000 on the drug-trafficking charges.