Attorney Colin Christopher Murphy's Legal Cases

Drug Crime

In the Matter of Property Seized from M.M., Iowa District Court for Linn County No. SPCR161554

Sep 17, 2026

OUTCOME: Seized Property Returned

Police had previously seized nearly $38,000 in cash and a firearm from our client's warehouse when products for retail distribution tested positive for THC above the state threshold. Our investigation ... showed that the certificates of analysis on which our client's relied to distribute the products were forgeries, which meant they had no way of knowing the products violated state law. This meant, too, that the cash was not the proceeds of any drug transaction because the products had not yet been distributed. After a year of litigation where the court ordered the seized property held as evidence for pending criminal charges, all money and the firearm were returned to the owner and no charges were filed.

DUI and DWI

State v. J.F., Iowa District Court for Ida County No. OWCR008572

Aug 10, 2026

OUTCOME: OWI Charge Dismissed

On August 10, 2026, the district court accepted a plea to the amended charge of simple misdemeanor Reckless Driving following a successful motion suppressing the breath test in an OWI case. Pretrial d ... iscovery revealed that the driver was permitted unfettered access to drinking water within a few minutes of submitting to evidentiary breath testing. That is not permitted in Iowa. The suppression resulted in the DOT rescinding and removing the revocation of his driving privileges from his record. The driver paid a fine and avoided any time in jail. This is another example of how our discovery process can reveal potential defenses to OWI.

Drug Crime

State v. M.M., Iowa District Court for Muscatine County No. FECR073707

Aug 06, 2026

OUTCOME: Felony Charges Dismissed

On August 6, 2026 the district court granted the State's motion to dismiss felony weapon and drug charges following a ruling that suppressed all evidence. We were the third attorneys involved in this ... case. The first two passed on what proved to be a successful challenge to a search warrant that led to the seizure of evidence. We raised multiple issues that were previously ignored or overlooked by prior trial counsel, including whether the warrant supported a nexus between criminal activity and our client's residence, whether the information was too stale to support a search warrant and whether the officer recklessly omitted information from the warrant that cast doubt on probable cause. This is a great example of what happens when you roll up your sleeves and apply your process to unpacking a search warrant affidavit.

Criminal defense

State v. J.K., Iowa District Court for Poweshiek County Nos. NTA0060444 / 45

Jun 11, 2026

OUTCOME: Enhanced Penalties Denied

On June 11, 2026 the district court sentenced our client to the scheduled fine for crossing the center line in a case where he was facing a lengthy license suspension and enhance monetary penalties bec ... ause the case involved an accident where another individual died. The fighting issue in the case was whether the State could prove the death resulted from the accident beyond a reasonable doubt. We raised Confrontation Clause challenges to the Iowa State Patrol testifying as to the contents of the State Medical Examiner's Report on the autopsy instead of the ME testifying himself.

DUI and DWI

State v. T.B. , Iowa District Court for Polk County No. SMAC424872

May 18, 2026

OUTCOME: Contempt Charges Dismissed

On May 18, 2026 the district court granted the State's motion to dismiss the charge of contempt for refusing to submit to a search warrant for breath, blood and/or urine. Facts developed at the hearin ... g demonstrated significant issues casting doubt on the probable cause for the warrant. And Defendant established the contempt charge was brought under the wrong statute. The State voluntarily dismissed before the court could rule on our motion to dismiss at the close of the State's case.

DUI and DWI

C.C. v Iowa Dept. of Transp., No. 26DOTOT0255

Dec 16, 2025

OUTCOME: Driver's License Revocation Rescinded

On December 16, 2025 the administrative law judge reversed the previous entry of a license revocation based on notice of an out-of-state revocation for implied consent. Our investigation revealed that ... no revocation was warranted because there was no final administrative decision or DUI conviction upon which a revocation could be based.

Drug Crime

State v. J.G., Iowa District Court for Muscatine County No. FECR071994

Dec 05, 2025

OUTCOME: Felony Drug Charges Dismissed

On December 8, 2025 the district court granted the State's motion to dismiss following a favorable suppression ruling challenging probable cause to issue a search warrant to search our client's propert ... y. This matter had previously been handled by another attorney who failed to recognize the critical issue. We successfully moved the court to allow the late filing of a suppression motion more than 7 months after the deadline passed, and then prevailed on the setting aside the search warrant. There were 7 felony charges each with a habitual offender enhancement, which meant our client was facing 105 years in prison.

DUI and DWI

State v. S.M., Iowa District Court for Sioux County No. OWCR019532

Dec 03, 2025

OUTCOME: OWI Charge Dismissed

On December 3, 2025, the district court accepted a plea to the amended charge of public intoxication and reckless driving (for minimum fines and no jail) following the filing of a motion to suppress ch ... allenging the authority to request a breath specimen in this case. This follows a successful DOT ruling where we prevented the driver's commercial driver's license from being disqualified. With a plea to a non-OWI charge, the DOT now has no authority to sanction the driver's privileges for circumstances arising from this traffic stop. Huge win!

DUI and DWI

S.M. v. Iowa Dept. of Transp., No. 26DOTOT0452

Nov 21, 2025

OUTCOME: Driver's License Revocation Rescinded

On November 21, 2025 the Administrative Law Judge rescinded the revocation of my client's driver's license following the hearing for a breath test that exceeded 0.08 after we demonstrated the deputy la ... cked a statutory ground to request a breath test through implied consent. This ruling will preserve his commercial driving privileges.

Drug Crime

In the Matter of Property Seized from J.R., Iowa District Court for Johnson County No. SPCV502141

Oct 29, 2025

OUTCOME: Seized Property Returned

On October 29, 2025, the district court essentially granted our Application for the return of $22,000 and two cell phones seized from a driver following a traffic stop for speeding. We were in positio ... n to establish that the money was the proceeds of gambling winnings rather than drug proceeds as law enforcement initially suspected. In a strange twist, law enforcement initially returned the money and other property at the end of the traffic stop, only to flag down the driver a second time as he was slowly driving along the shoulder of the road attempting to merge onto highway traffic. This second stop certainly wasn't supported by independent probable cause.

Colin Christopher Murphy's Legal Cases (186)

In the Matter of Property Seized from M.M., Iowa District Court for Linn County No. SPCR161554

State v. J.F., Iowa District Court for Ida County No. OWCR008572

State v. M.M., Iowa District Court for Muscatine County No. FECR073707

State v. J.K., Iowa District Court for Poweshiek County Nos. NTA0060444 / 45

State v. T.B. , Iowa District Court for Polk County No. SMAC424872

C.C. v Iowa Dept. of Transp., No. 26DOTOT0255

State v. J.G., Iowa District Court for Muscatine County No. FECR071994

State v. S.M., Iowa District Court for Sioux County No. OWCR019532

S.M. v. Iowa Dept. of Transp., No. 26DOTOT0452

In the Matter of Property Seized from J.R., Iowa District Court for Johnson County No. SPCV502141