Three people convicted in a weeks-long human trafficking trial at the San Luis Obispo County courthouse have learned their fate.
Heather Hunt, Tremaine Jones and Joshua Murphy avoided decades behind bars or potential life terms during sentencing Wednesday.
All facing 15 years to life, Murphy was given 14 years and four months.
He was convicted by a jury in July of five counts including human trafficking, pimping of a minor, sex with a minor and child pornography.
Jones received 16 years for human trafficking of a minor and pimping of a minor.
A prior felony charge involving rape of a minor doubled his latest sentence.
Hunt received the lightest sentence of 8 years. Judge Timothy Covello described the sentencing decision as one of the hardest the court has ever had to make.
The three were arrested in Pismo Beach four years ago for trafficking a 15-year-old from Nevada.
Outside the courtroom, Hunt’s attorney said “this is justice" when referring to how long his client would serve.
“This trial outcome was really a tremendous victory for all three defendants," Murphy's attorney Addison Steele stated.
Deputy District Attorney Kim Dittrich argued the victim’s testimony along with digital evidence and the jury’s findings were enough to give all three stronger sentences, however when referring to Hunt, Judge Covello said he took into consideration her past as someone who was trafficked, abused and previously pimped out.
“In any case the court does have some discretion and while this is not the sentence that we asked for, we respect the court's decision," District Attorney Dan Dow said.
Murphy and Hunt will have the opportunity to serve only half their sentence while Jones, due to a prior felony conviction, will have to serve at least 80% of his sentence according to Steele. Meanwhile, Dow made sure to recognize the victim and all that she did to help the prosecution make their case.
“Our hearts go out to this young woman, this survivor of human trafficking," he said. "She's an extraordinary young woman. We're very pleased that we were able to hold her traffickers accountable, send all three of them to state prison where they belong for now.”
A restitution hearing for all three is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2026.
