A middle school teacher at an arts magnet school has been arrested after police said she had sex with a 14-year-old boy who was a former student of the drama teacher
The drama teacher, who worked at Hialeah Middle, is accused of sexually abusing the boy in her car multiple times over a two-month period between August and October 2021.
Brittiny Lopez-Murray, 31, was booked at Miami-Dade jail on multiple felonies, including lewd and lascivious battery, molestation, and engaging in a sexual act with a child.
Her defense attorneys, Landon Ray and Jeff Chukwuma, told the Miami Herald, “she is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Ray said. “We hope everyone is patient, doesn't rush to judgment and respects the family's privacy.”
The Miami-Dade school district responded to the allegations saying that Lopez-Murray has been a teacher for four years and has not had any previous disciplinary actions. Lopez-Murray was also named “rookie teacher of the year” by Hialeah Middle in 2017.
The 14-year-old boy, who is currently in high school, was once one of Lopez-Murray's students. Lopez-Murray started to abuse the teenager in August, according to the police report.
Police were made aware of the possible sexual abuse after the victim's sister saw explicit text messages and photos between the teen and Lopez-Murray. The photos and text were then shown to the father and the police were involved.
The series of texts allegedly included nude photos of the teacher, details about past sex acts, and other information about times and places they had met.
According to police detectives that interviewed the boy, she text him in August 2021 and expressed her feelings toward the boy. They later met up on multiple occasions where she abused the boy in her car.
When Hialeah detectives arrested Lopez-Murray on October 4, she invoked her right to remain silent and did not speak to the police.
UPDATE: Brittiny Lopez-Murray, accused of sex with a 14-year-old male student, had her first appearance in court on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. The Judge ordered her to stay away from the victim and she is to have no unsupervised contact with minors.
The accused has also already posted bail in the amount of $185,000.
Other Sexual Abuse by Teachers in Miami-Dade
- Miami-Dade police also arrested another teacher, Daniel Fernandez, who is accused of molesting and fondling a 14-year-old girl at Renaissance Charter Middle School.
- A federal civil jury ordered the Miami-Dade school district to pay $6 million to a former student who claims she was sexually abused by a former Palmetto High creative writing teacher.
- In March, a Hialeah teacher, Jeanette Valle-Tejeda, was arrested for allegedly engaging in inappropriate and abusive sexual behavior with at least three underage students over the course of several years. She was charged with child abuse, sexual battery, and committing sex acts with a minor. She worked for Miami-Dade County public schools for twenty years.
Contact a School Sexual Abuse Lawyer to Protect the Rights of Your Child
Dolman Law Group is ready to help anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse at school or by any other organization. Our Sexual Abuse Lawyers will help you to understand your legal options and choose a path forward that suits you and your family.
Our team treats every sexual abuse and sexual assault survivor with the compassion and respect they deserve. We listen to, advise, and respect our clients, and we never push them into a situation they are not ready for. When a client is ready, we go full force to seek justice and compensation from any person, school, church, or organization who did our client harm.
Learn more: What Kind of Attorney Handles Sexual Abuse Cases?
If you have questions about taking legal action involving an allegation of sexual abuse, contact the sexual assault lawyers at Dolman Law Group today to learn about your options. We have offices across Florida and the US. You can reach us by calling 727-451-6900 or by messaging us online.