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Melbourne man impersonates FBI agent to meet woman, police say

MELBOURNE, Fla. — Melbourne police said they arrested man who was allegedly pretending to be an FBI agent in an effort to meet a woman.

Police said Gary Murray was using a lanyard with the letters FBI on it to impersonate a real agent.

In an odd twist, the woman Murray was trying to meet was the girlfriend of a gunman who was shot and killed outside the Brevard County Courthouse last week.

According to Melbourne police, Murray, 54, showed up at an apartment complex on Highland Avenue on Monday looking for Robert Striffler's girlfriend.  Instead, he was confronted by the woman's landlord, who told Murray the woman was in no condition to see him since the recent death of her boyfriend.

Authorities said Murray threatened to attack the landlord, who then called police.

During their investigation, police learned Murray was not an FBI agent so they arrested him on and charged him with trespassing, assault and impersonating an FBI agent.

The alleged assault happened when Murray told the landlord he was going to hit him "upside the head" as he raised his hands in a threatening manner.

Stiffler's girlfriend told police she met Murray hours before he showed up at her apartment when he tried to help her find her missing purse in this area off US-1.

In court, Murray stomped his feet and at one point burst into laughter as the judge read the charges against him.

Murray's attorney said Tuesday his client takes drugs that affect his mental state and that Murray had been off his meds for days.