A Fayetteville teacher at Douglas Byrd High School who was supposed to be teaching the law is now having to learn it the hard way.
Devon Murphy, a 41-year-old Criminal Justice teacher and boys’ varsity basketball coach, has been charged with assault by strangulation and misdemeanor child abuse after he allegedly put a 15-year-old student in a chokehold so tight the child passed out cold, according to the Fayetteville Police Department.
Fayetteville Teacher Alleged Attack
This alleged incident went down back in March 2025, when police say Murphy got physical with a student, wrapping his arm around the teen’s neck until the boy lost consciousness. The child reportedly had visible swelling on the right side of his forehead, leaving no room for “just a misunderstanding.”
Murphy ain’t new to the school system. He’s been working with Cumberland County Schools since 2013, bouncing between middle and high schools. Most recently, he taught criminal justice and coached basketball at Douglas Byrd High. But now, it looks like his classroom lessons are coming full circle… behind a courtroom bench.
He was arrested on July 24, 2025, and charged with one count of felony assault by strangulation and one count of misdemeanor child abuse.
Murphy’s bond was set at $25,000 secured and he has since bonded out.
