Seamus Murphy, 38, formerly of Milford

CONCORD – In early January, while on federal supervised release following his 2016 conviction for bank robbery, former Milford resident Seamus Murphy was taken into custody outside a Wendy’s in Derry – and charged with robbing a nearby bank.

Now, Murphy, 38, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Concord to that January robbery, and is currently scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 14, a year and a week after the robbery, which occurred at the People’s United Bank on Derry’s Crystal Avenue.

Authorities at the time said Murphy handed a teller a note demanding money and stating he was armed, but employees said later that he was not armed.

Authorities said a teller gave Murphy $712 from a cash drawer, and he fled the bank on foot.

Police were contacted, and two officers headed to the bank spotted a man matching Murphy’s description running toward the Wendy’s. They caught up to him, identified him as the suspect and recovered the entire $712.

The earlier bank robbery for which Murphy was convicted occurred in February 2015 at a branch bank in a Stratham supermarket.

He was arrested in Tewksbury, Mass., following a two-state manhunt, and was convicted in May 2016.

The arrests were sandwiched around another one that occurred in July 2019, when members of a U.S. Marshals Joint Fugitive Task Force tracked him down in Chester and took him into custody on a warrant accusing him of violating conditions of his supervised release.

The robbery to which Murphy just pleaded guilty was investigated by FBI agents and Derry police.

“Bank robberies endanger bank employees and the general public,” U.S. Attorney for the district of New Hampshire Scott W. Murray said in a statement announcing Murphy’s guilty plea.

“These violent crimes will not be tolerated. We will work closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to keep the Granite State safe by investigating and prosecuting those who commit bank robberies and other violent offenses,” Murray added.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.