A civil lawsuit alleges years of sexual exploitation before Joseph “Joey” Deprimeo-Domenici died from fentanyl intoxication in a Lexington hotel.
LEXINGTON, MA — The family of a 21-year-old man who died from a fentanyl overdose in a Lexington hotel is questioning whether authorities fully investigated allegations involving drugs and sexual exploitation that surfaced after his death, even as the businessman accused in a civil lawsuit denies wrongdoing.
Joseph “Joey” Deprimeo-Domenici was found dead Nov. 4, 2019, in Room 2113 of a Quality Inn in Lexington. Police initially treated the case as an unattended death and probable overdose, according to records reviewed by Boston 25 News. The medical examiner later determined that he died from acute fentanyl intoxication and ruled the death accidental. Massachusetts State Police ultimately classified their investigation as closed-solved in July 2024, and no criminal charges were filed.
The case has drawn new attention because Deprimeo-Domenici’s family alleges in a Middlesex Superior Court lawsuit that Bryan W. Murphy, a Woburn businessman, sexually abused and exploited him beginning when he was a teenager. The family alleges Murphy exchanged money or drugs for sexual acts and later helped bring Deprimeo-Domenici back to Massachusetts after he entered drug treatment in Florida. The allegations are civil claims and have not been proven at trial. Murphy denies them.
Murphy told police he paid for Deprimeo-Domenici’s flight back to Massachusetts and was trying to help him get back on his feet, according to Boston 25’s review of the investigation. Hotel and financial records reviewed by the station showed Murphy paid for 128 nights at the Quality Inn during 2019. Court filings also describe the hotel room where Deprimeo-Domenici was found as having been rented by Murphy.
Investigators reported finding Deprimeo-Domenici on a bed beneath a comforter, wearing only underwear, with no observable trauma. Police documented small amounts of white powder, a room key with residue and two disassembled pens that investigators said could be used as tubes. Marijuana, clothing, food and video games were also documented in the room. His phone was not found there. According to police records cited by Boston 25, Murphy later told a State Police detective that he had deleted his text messages with Deprimeo-Domenici and declined to provide his phone when asked.
Questions raised by the family go beyond what police found in the room. Deprimeo-Domenici’s mother told investigators she had not known her son had left rehabilitation in Florida, while his girlfriend raised concerns about Murphy and alleged that he had maintained a hotel room for sexual encounters with young men. The girlfriend also told investigators she had seen screenshots she believed supported an allegation that Murphy had paid for a hotel room in exchange for sexual acts, according to the State Police material reported by Boston 25.
The civil case, filed by Carla Domenici individually and as representative of her son’s estate, makes broader allegations about the years before his death. Court records say the family alleges Deprimeo-Domenici began performing odd jobs for Murphy while he was a teenager and was later sexually exploited in exchange for cash or prescription drugs. One filing seeking Murphy’s credit card records alleges that Murphy frequently used the Quality Inn while abusing Deprimeo-Domenici. Those assertions remain allegations being litigated in civil court.
The lawsuit also cites testimony from other men concerning alleged encounters involving Murphy. Boston 25 reported that one man testified that Deprimeo-Domenici brought him to meet Murphy at the hotel in 2016 and that Murphy gave Deprimeo-Domenici money after sexual activity. Another testified that Murphy took him to the same hotel while he was 14 or 15 and made a sexual demand that he refused. The testimony forms part of the civil case and does not establish criminal liability.
Murphy has rejected the allegations. In court filings, his defense has challenged the family’s version of events, and his attorney, Eric G. Penley, told Boston 25 that Deprimeo-Domenici’s death was the result of years of drug abuse ending in a self-administered fentanyl overdose. Penley said Murphy “vehemently denies any fault relating to this matter” and intends to present his case in court. Murphy also told Boston 25 he believed police had properly investigated the death.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, where the State Police detective who closed the investigation is assigned, told Boston 25 it could not comment on a matter in which no criminal charges had been filed. The office noted that criminal prosecutors must meet a substantially higher burden of proof than parties in a civil case. No criminal charges against Murphy have been reported in connection with Deprimeo-Domenici’s death or the allegations raised by his family.
The civil trial had been scheduled for May 2026 but did not proceed after Murphy failed to appear and his attorney told the court that Murphy had suffered a medical emergency, according to Boston 25. The trial is now scheduled for February 2027, when the family’s allegations and Murphy’s denials are expected to be addressed through the civil court process.
Author note: Last updated October 31, 2026.