A Fort Bragg command sergeant major accused of trying to desert during a sexual assault investigation has now been hit with fresh charges including revenge porn and extortion over his sexual relationship with a junior.
Master Sgt. Clinton M. Murray is facing a second court-martial this October on five new charges of revenge porn, extortion, desertion, failure to obey a regulation and impeding a sexual assault investigation.
Murray allegedly broadcast intimate images of a female officer, used the images to try to extort her and asked her to destroy evidence of their affair.
He also allegedly forged documents to try to retire early from the Army in an apparent attempt to evade justice over the relationship - which is a violation of military conduct and is classified as desertion.
Murray is a highly-decorated soldier, having been awarded the Bronze Star Medal and an Army Commendation Medal for valor.
A Fort Bragg command sergeant major accused of trying to desert during a sexual assault investigation has now been hit with fresh charges including revenge porn and extortion over his sexual relationship with a junior. Master Sgt. Clinton M. Murray pictured
Murray was convicted in his first court-martial last year of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with the private while on deployment to Afghanistan and was demoted from his rank of command sergeant major to master sergeant - before a flurry of new allegations surfaced against him following the trial.
The new charges were made public in documents, seen by Army Times, when Murray filed a lawsuit against the Army in July 2020 for revoking his retirement.
Murray was on his fifth tour on deployment in Afghanistan in 2017 when he was investigated for having inappropriate relationships with two soldiers in his unit.
He was slapped with a string of charges including sexually assaulting the private first class, maltreatment of the same soldier, fraternization with an officer and trying to influence the investigation.
He was then found guilty of having an inappropriate relationship with the private first class between July 1 2017 and December 30 2017 in January 2020.
He was acquitted of the more serious charge of sexual assault and maltreatment, while the fraternization and obstruction charges were withdrawn.
During the court-martial, the officer allegedly came forward with fresh allegations against Murray.
Maj. Clifford Walters, chief of military justice for 82nd Airborne Division, said in a sworn statement that the woman claimed Murray asked her to help him destroy evidence of the sexual assault and inappropriate relationship charges.
Walters said the woman also claimed Murray had sexually assaulted her.
Her statements led the Army Criminal Investigation Division to open a second investigation into Murray's conduct, which led to the new charges and second trial.
Master Sgt. Clinton M. Murray (left on deployment to Afghanistan in 2017) is facing a second court-martial this October on five new charges of revenge porn, extortion, desertion, failure to obey a regulation and impeding a sexual assault investigation
Murray is accused of blackmailing the officer to have sex with him in 2018 by extorting her with nude images and the threat that he would tell her partner of their affair in 2017.
He also allegedly shared intimate images of an unnamed woman without her consent.
Murray is also accused of desertion as prosecutors allege he forged documents to retire while the investigation was underway.
Under military rules, a soldier cannot change duty stations, retire or be promoted while under investigation.
Murray was allegedly notified of the new investigation in February 2020.
He is accused of retiring on medical grounds following the launch of the probe.
Murray filed a suit against the Army in July 2020 seeking a restraining order so that he could not return to active duty.
Pictured Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Murray was convicted in his first court-martial last year of having an inappropriate sexual relationship while on deployment to Afghanistan
In the suit, he claimed he had honorably retired on June 8 2020.
His suit was dismissed in September and he was ordered to return to duty.
Prosecutors say the officials whose signatures are on his retirement documents claim they did not sign the papers.
They also point to the name of one of the sergeants being misspelled on the papers.
Murray has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Vanessa Guillen was murdered at Fort Hood in April 2020, after she complained of her suspected killer of sexually harassing her
His attorney John Hafemann told Army Times: 'We look forward to representing our client at his court-martial. He's pled not guilty.
'We can't discuss the specifics of the case.'
Murray is due to stand trial on the new charges on October 11.
Fort Bragg is one of a series of Army bases to come under scrutiny for several allegations of sexual assault and suspicious disappearances and deaths in recent months.
In December, Sergeant Keith Lewis shot his heavily pregnant wife in front of their three-year-old daughter then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide.
Earlier that month Master Sgt. William Lavigne II and Army veteran Timothy Dumas were also found dead in a training area in what's suspected to be a drug deal gone wrong.
Meanwhile at Fort Hood, Vanessa Guillen was murdered in April 2020, after she complained of her suspected killer of sexually harassing her.
Aaron David Robinson was accused of the murder but killed himself before going to trial.
