How a Champion Surfer Became a Notorious Jewel Thief and Murderer

Jack Roland Murphy, better known by his headline-friendly moniker “Murf the Surf,” was a criminal who pulled off America’s biggest jewelry heist, stealing the Star of India sapphire—among several other valuables—from Manhattan’s Museum of Natural History on Oct. 29, 1964. That swindle attracted national attention and turned Murf into a media darling, abetted by his brashness, good looks, and defiant lack of repentance. He was a beach boy-turned-hoodlum with style and attitude to burn, and his exploits were grand enough to beget a 1975 feature film (Murf the Surf) about his legendary burglary.