- Brittiny Lopez-Murray, a 33-year-old drama teacher at Hialeah Middle School, was arrested in October 2021 and has admitted to having sex with a student
- The Miami Dade County Public Schools teacher slept with a 14-year-old former student in her car several times. The legal age of consent in Florida is 18
- The couple shared text messages about their sexual relationship, which was discovered when the student's father discovered nude pictures of the teacher on his son's phone
A Florida drama teacher has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of having sex with an underage student in her car.
Brittiny Lopez-Murray, 33, taught at Hialeah Middle School in Miami Dade County until her arrest in October 2021.
She has now pleaded guilty to several charges including lewd and lascivious assault, molestation of a child and harmful electronic transmission to a minor.
At her request, she was sentenced to two years of community control and ten years of probation.
She must also register as a sex offender and attend a program for sex offenders with mental disorders.
Brittiny Lopez-Murray, a 33-year-old drama teacher at Hialeah Middle School, was arrested in October 2021 and has admitted to having sex with a student
Lopez-Murray was seen awkwardly entering the courtroom in Florida
Lopez-Murray had taught at Hialeah Middle for four years before the incidents, had no criminal record and was named the 2017 Rookie Teacher of the Year.
Lopez-Murray and the student, who has since graduated from Hialeah Middle and entered high school in Miami Dade, exchanged text messages about “how much they enjoyed sex together.”
Even when school was canceled, she continued to contact the boy and texted him during the summer holidays to talk about “her feelings” towards him.
Occasionally, she would pick him up from basketball practice before heading to her car, where the two would engage in sexual acts in her car.
The couple also met for dates, such as grabbing coffee before heading back to their car to have sex, which also took place in a shopping center parking lot.
Lopez-Murray slept with a 14-year-old former student in her car on several occasions. She is pictured during her arrest in October 2021
Lopez-Murray, 33, had a bright future after being named the 2017 Rookie Teacher of the Year
“The defendant also tricked the victim into sending child pornography images by writing things like 'perfect and delicious,'” according to an affidavit viewed by NBC6.
Eventually the relationship was discovered after the boy's sister saw the various explicit texts and photos sent between him and the teacher.
The student's father also discovered nude photos of the teacher on his son's phone.
The Miami Dade Public Schools board said it was “saddened and disappointed” by Lopez-Murray’s actions.
The relationship between the Hialeah Middle School teacher (pictured) and the former student began in August 2021. The student has since graduated from school and is now attending high school in the city of Hialeah
“The district is taking great action to ensure our students are educated in safe learning environments,” the statement said.
“All employees receive training and are expected to adhere to the district’s ethical standards of conduct policy.” It is unfortunate that, despite our best efforts, the actions of some individuals are inconsistent with the behavior expected of them .
The legal age of consent in the state of Florida is 18, meaning that anyone age 17 or younger is legally unable to consent to sexual activity in Florida.
The 33-year-old drama teacher from Florida, named Freshman of the Year in 2017, admits to having sex with a 14-year-old student in her car several times