Meet Sarah Murphy, a seasoned legal professional and Chief Deputy District Attorney renowned for her expertise in prosecuting criminal cases in Shasta County. As the co-founder of the Children’s Legacy Center, Sarah has dedicated her career to combating exploitation and abuse, particularly within the harrowing realm of human trafficking. With a passion for justice and a commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals, Sarah's tireless efforts have led to significant victories in the fight against trafficking in the North State.
In light of the significant impact of human trafficking in Shasta County, we sat down with Sarah for an in-depth conversation that delved into this issue.
Does human trafficking occur in the North State?
SM: Yes, each and every day. Trafficking takes places on the ground here in the North State and online.
How prevalent is it, and what are some of the primary avenues for trafficking in this region?
SM: We have I-5 running right through the center of Shasta County which means drugs and humans are being trafficked each and every day. We have had cases prosecuted here in Shasta County where the trafficker or pimp has said that ‘Redding is an open market because we are rural, have access to the larger cities and do not have enough law enforcement to be proactive.’ In addition to that, we have victims who are being exploited online.
Can you elaborate on the tactics used by traffickers to exploit victims and manipulate them into staying silent?
SM: Many victims of online exploitation are youth who find a ‘friend’ or someone they trust and build a ‘relationship’ online with that person, but are then exploited for images of CSAM (child sexual abuse material). This happens when the victim sends an image or video and the ‘friend’ or ‘trusted person,’ but that predator sells or trades those images (or videos) while exploiting the victim for more images/videos by threatening to publicly expose the images they have already received.
Reflecting on a specific case, what challenges did you encounter in prosecuting traffickers, particularly concerning victim cooperation?
SM: One of those cases was the Melvin Baldwin-Green and Tanisha Williams case. Their case was investigated throughout 2014 and 2015, then prosecuted in 2016. Despite the age of that case, the tactics and behaviors of pimps Baldwin-Green and Williams are still found in current ongoing investigations, and the lessons learned during the investigation and prosecution of that case are still relevant today.
What were the biggest difficulties in prosecuting that case?
SM: The biggest difficulty for us was assuring the victims that police and prosecution were not the bad guys. We are the people who want to find out the truth and hold defendants accountable for the horrible crimes they were committing.
In the culture and lifestyle of people who are being trafficked, the trafficker presents themselves as the one protecting victims from the police. Victims are repeatedly told that the police just want to arrest them and put them in jail. Victims are threatened with harm if they report or talk to the police. Victim’s families are threatened if the victim leaves or talks to police.
None of the victims were local to the Redding area; they were all from the greater Sacramento area and all of the victims had been taught that law enforcement were the bad guys.
Can you provide insight into the sentencing and outcome of the Baldwin-Green/Williams case?
SM: In the Melvin Baldwin-Green and Tanisha Williams case, the jury found them guilty of each and every count with which they were charged. Baldwin-Green was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences, along with an additional 50 years in state prison. Williams was sentenced to one life sentence with an additional 35 years in state prison.
How did you personally feel, or, what did it mean to you when the jury read the verdict?
SM: I was relieved when I heard the verdicts read by the clerk. I was relieved because I know how incredibly hard it was for victims to testify and how much work was put into the case to corroborate them and I knew when I heard the first guilty verdict that all of that work was going to show the victims that the jurors believed them and the defendants would be held accountable for their heinous crimes.
Since the Baldwin-Green/Williams case, have there been other instances of human trafficking prosecuted in the North State?
SM: Yes, we have prosecuted additional cases of human trafficking in Shasta County since the Baldwin-Green/Williams case. Some of those cases have involved exploitation and human trafficking online, exploitation and human trafficking in person, and some have involved other types of human trafficking - although we have not charged the specific crime of human trafficking.
What warning signs should our community be aware of if they suspect human trafficking is occurring?
SM: I think it is important to discuss that human trafficking is multi-faceted and involves exploitation, physical abuse, sexual abuse, incidents of domestic violence, significant mental abuse and manipulation. People who engage in human trafficking are masters at manipulation.
A trafficker who is exploiting a youth online finds a vulnerability or other avenue to access and get that youth to open up to them and then they manipulate that youth and convince them to do things that they would ordinarily not do.
A trafficker who is exploiting a victim for sexual purposes in-person, rather than exclusively online, is a master of manipulation. That trafficker convinces the victim they are the one who will keep them safe, who will protect them, who will provide their basic necessities for them, that they love them, and on and on. A person who is engaging in labor trafficking is manipulating a victim to believe they will keep them safe and provide them a better life (whatever that looks like for that victim).
It is important to understand that when a minor has access to the internet and social media, their risk for exploitation increases significantly. Putting a cell phone in the hands of a minor increases their contacts and increases the number of people who can be in contact with that child. Cell phones, access to the internet and social media all expose children to a world that they may not be prepared to navigate. Many parents do not know how to navigate the world our children experience online, and sometimes end up in situations they are not prepared to handle.
I don’t think I can place enough emphasis on how quickly the manipulation and exploitation of a person can happen. Traffickers prey on vulnerabilities. I have had victim’s tell me how they met their traffickers and it was as simple as they had an argument with their mom and wanted someone to talk to who wasn’t their mom or family member and out of nowhere there appeared this person who was willing to talk, was sympathetic, who made them feel valued and before they knew what was happening they were providing videos or images of a sexual nature or they were going on dates with johns to support their boyfriend.
Could you elaborate on some of the factors that increase vulnerability to human trafficking?
SM: When I look at what places an adult or child at risk to be exploited and trafficked – I look at what the housing situation for a child or adult is, have they been the victim of other forms of sexual abuse or domestic violence, as a child are they a run away or have they had contact with the child welfare, juvenile justice or other court system, are they in need of basic things to live, do they live in an environment where their caregiver is a user of substances like alcohol or drugs?
None of these factors mean a child or adult will be exploited or trafficked but they increase the risk because that child or adult is more vulnerable. Trafficking happens to the kids that come from good homes too because everyone has vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
I think something that is crucial to talk about when we talk about human trafficking is that traffickers see people (human beings) as property and as something which has a dollar value to them. They see them as items which can be sold. I have had victims describe themselves as being see like a bicycle that can be used over and over again and that is how they viewed themselves because of how they are treated. Traffickers have placed a monetary value on human life and this is reprehensible.
How can society better educate children and individuals to recognize their own value and avoid falling victim to traffickers?
SM: As human beings we need to teach children that they have value that is not monetary, that is not how many followers they have on social media or how many hits/views/likes/shares/etc. they have received but that they have a value that is independent of what society tells them is valuable.
When we teach children that they are valued for who they are, for how they think, for their voices and for all the other things that make people valuable we can start to make a difference in the fight against human trafficking; however, until we reframe how children and society values human life people will be vulnerable to traffickers AND traffickers will find profit in selling human beings.
