Press Releases
04/05/2024
Judge Sentences Branford Man Convicted of Charges of Enticing a Minor, Risk of Injury to a Minor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(New Haven, CT) - John P. Doyle Jr., State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of New Haven, today announced that the Honorable Elpedio N. Vitale on April 4, 2024, sentenced Tyler Purskey, age 34, of Branford to 15 years in prison, execution suspended after eight years served, and 15 years of sexual offender probation, for sending a series of sexually explicit messages to a child in an attempt to engage the child in sexual activity.
A jury in New Haven Superior Court on January 22, 2024 found Purskey guilty of the crimes of Enticing a Minor, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-90a, and two counts of Risk of Injury to a Minor, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-21.
According to evidence introduced at trial, the defendant sent over 9,000 text messages, including hundreds of sexually explicit messages to a 12-year-old child between September 3, 2019 and November 1, 2019. The evidence showed that the defendant did this in an attempt to entice the minor into sexual activity. At the time, the defendant was a tennis instructor for the minor child.
The case was investigated by the Guilford Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah E. Jones and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney David J. Strollo, with assistance from Inspectors Michael Mastropetre and Kevin Grenier.
State’s Attorney Doyle wishes to express his gratitude to the FBI and Emanuel Hatzikostas, FBI Master Digital Forensic Examiner, for his extensive work in this investigation.
“The New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office is committed to working with local, state and federal partners to identify and prosecute those who exploit children,” State’s Attorney Doyle said. “Those who victimize children, our most vulnerable members of society, need to be held accountable for their actions.”