NORTH HAVERHILL — Seamus Murphy, a 44-year-old Grafton man taken into custody on Nov. 7 during a large-scale police operation at his Riddle Hill Road farm, will be held without bail after pleading not guilty to 12 charges including being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing explosives and driving as a habitual offender.
Murphy, described by U.S. Marshals in a November news release as a “self-proclaimed sovereign citizen,” attended his arraignment and bail hearing remotely on Monday from the Merrimack House of Corrections, where he is currently being held.
Taylor Moult with the Grafton County Attorney’s Office requested that Murphy remain detained without bail, citing numerous instances in 2024 and 2025 where he failed to appear in court.
According to U.S. Marshals, Murphy’s prior offenses include felon in possession of a firearm, escape and multiple convictions involving controlled substances and narcotics.
“While (Murphy) was released on a previous matter, (he) failed to appear and committed further felony and misdemeanor crimes,” Moult said.
Public Defender Renee Sargent entered pleas of not guilty to the charges on Murphy’s behalf and asked Grafton County Superior Court Judge Lawrence MacLeod Jr. for release on $1,500 cash bail, arguing “that this is basically the … reasonable alternative in order to get Mr. Murphy to be at court.”
Sargent questioned why authorities said it took so long to locate Murphy before his November arrest, which involved 30 officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, 10 deputies from the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Office and members of New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force descending on the 23-acre Riddle Road property. Murphy was taken into custody without incident.
At the time, Murphy was wanted on multiple outstanding warrants out of Merrimack County, and Merrimack County Sheriff Paul Croft told the Valley News that authorities had been searching for Murphy for “a couple months.”
“It’s actually a little bit concerning that the Marshals couldn’t find Mr. Murphy,” Sargent said. “Mr. Murphy has been at 386 Riddle Hill Road I would say for almost the entirety of the time that I have been a public defender here. He’s not that hard to find.”
As U.S. Marshals’ tactical officers surrounded the property, sheriff’s deputies executed search warrants and seized weapons, homemade “ghost gun” parts, explosive materials and devices, ammunition and body armor.
U.S Marshals described Murphy as a “self-proclaimed sovereign citizen,” an individual adhering to the anti-government ideology that they are not subject to federal or local laws.
Samantha Grunewald, who identified herself as Murphy’s wife in a November interview following his arrest, denied the characterization.
“He’s an American citizen,” she said.
At Murphy’s arraignment and bail hearing on Monday, the defense attorney said in this case, “there is a heightened desire to prove innocence.”
Along with the proposed $1,500 cash bail, Sargent said the court could impose conditions of release including remaining on his Riddle Hill Road farm, not traveling outside the state of New Hampshire, abstaining from alcohol, illegal substances and the use of firearms and destructive devices, not driving without a license and signing a waiver of extradition.
MacLeod was “not confident” in the defense attorney’s assertions. The judge cited Murphy’s prior conviction and the firearms police say they found on his property, which make it seem unlikely “he’s going to comply with any bail orders.”
“Plus, he keeps missing court apparently,” MacLeod added.
He ruled that Murphy will be held without bail.
No future court dates were set at the hearing.
The next step in the case is a dispositional conference, 30 to 45 days from the arraignment and bail hearing, where defense counsel and prosecution will discuss before a judge the likelihood of trial.