Chattanooga’s former police chief, Celeste Murphy, had not reached a plea deal as of Wednesday in the 17-count criminal case against her and is scheduled to stand trial in early 2026.
Murphy, 56, is accused of illegal voter registration, false entries on official registration or election documents, false entries in governmental records, forgery, perjury and official misconduct.
She appeared briefly via video conference Wednesday in Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Boyd Patterson’s courtroom. Murphy was expected to reach a settlement in her case, but ultimately set a Jan. 20 trial date.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported in March 2024 that Murphy’s Tennessee voter registration conflicted with a primary residence tax exemption she received in Fulton County, Georgia.
Both government documents were signed under penalty of perjury. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation started investigating Murphy to look into allegations of official misconduct the following month.