Andrew McMorris memorial 5K run, walkathon set for March

Friends, family and supporters of 12-year-old Andrew McMorris, who was killed in 2018 by a Holbrook man convicted of driving drunk into a crowd of hiking Boy Scouts, will host a fundraiser next month to help complete construction of a lodge being built in memory of the Wading River seventh grader.

The Andrew McMorris Memorial Walkathon and 5K run will be held March 28 on trails and roads inside the Baiting Hollow Scout Camp in Calverton. The event will conclude at the future McMorris Lodge, also located in the Scout camp.

Proceeds from the event will support final construction of the lodge, which is being built by the Suffolk County Council of Boy Scouts, along with the Andrew McMorris Foundation and the council's endowment fund. Organizers said additional funds were needed to complete the lodge's loft area and to supply the building, which could open as early as the summer, with necessary furnishings. 

"We are incredibly grateful that the Suffolk County Council is paying homage to Andrew and his love for the Scouts in this amazing way," John and Alisa McMorris, Andrew's parents, said in a statement. "The McMorris Lodge will be a place to honor his life and scouting spirit along with serving Scouts for decades to come with a space where they can grow, learn and have experiences that will enrich their lives."

Dave Colford, president of the Suffolk County Council of the Boy Scouts, said the event would celebrate Andrew's memory.

“He represented the best that scouting and humanity has to offer," Colford said. 

Thomas Murphy, 60, was convicted Dec. 18 of nine counts for his role in the Sept. 30, 2018, crash on David Terry Road that killed Andrew and injured three other Scouts from Troop 161. 

Prosecutors said Murphy spent the morning of the crash drinking vodka on a Manorville golf course with three friends before driving his SUV into the Scouts, who were on a 20-mile hike. Murphy's blood alcohol content was 0.13% four hours after the crash, over the legal limit of 0.08%, officials said.

He will be sentenced March 27 and faces a maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

The public can register for the fundraiser at https://www.sccbsa.org/walk2020.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.