Man accusing Seattle Mayor of sex abuse goes public for first time

PENSACOLA, Fla. — In a KIRO 7 exclusive, we spoke to a man who accuses Seattle Mayor Ed Murray of sexually abusing him as a teen.

He lives in Pensacola, Florida, now and that's where Dave Wagner went to talk to him.

He has never appeared on camera and we've never seen his picture until now.

Lloyd Anderson said the interview was difficult to do and he was scared to go public -- scared for himself and his family.

Wagner spent weeks talking with him by phone, and on Monday, he met Anderson in person.

For the first time, he revealed his face and told his story about the abuse he says changed his life forever.

In a place that boasts the world’s whitest beaches is a resident who says he’s lived for decades with a deep, dark secret.

"I think about it almost every day,” said Anderson. "Ed Murray had offered me money in exchange for oral sex.  I obliged.  I think that's the hardest thing-- to sit here and say right now, because I did."

Anderson says he met Ed Murray while living at the Perry Center for Children in Portland. Murray worked there.

Anderson was a resident after he and his siblings were abandoned by their parents. He became best friends with another Murray accuser, Jeff Simpson. Anderson said Simpson confided that Murray had molested him.

"I think I was 15 and we just let it go. We just never talked about it again,” said Anderson.

Anderson says when he was 17, he ran into Murray in downtown Portland and said Murray invited him to his apartment, giving him drug money to perform oral sex.

"I was having a hard time.  I was having a rough time and, I'm sorry, but Mr. Murray took advantage of that situation and yeah,” said Anderson.

Dave Wagner: “How often did that happen?”

Anderson: “Say five, six, maybe seven times. And he knew what he was doing. You don't pay somebody for sex and not know what you're doing."

Wagner showed Anderson a KIRO 7 interview with Murray, where he denied really knowing him.

"As far as him denying that he knows me -- okay, it upsets me a little bit.  But I'm not going to let him victimize me anymore,” said Anderson. "Can't tell me that I don't know him and he doesn't know me.  Because that's just a flat out, bald-faced lie."

During an interview with KIRO 7 last week, Murray suggested the allegations are one of two things.

Murray:  “Either you're looking at serial pedophile or this is a big political takedown.”

Anderson:  “You've got your answer.  A serial pedophile.”

Dave Wagner:  “You believe he's a serial pedophile?”

Anderson:  “For four people to come and say this, I would guess so, yeah."

Anderson has had his own troubles in the decades since he met Murray. He’s a registered sex offender who served time in prison for lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 16. Today, he’s married with children and said he’s a man of faith, not judgement.

Dave Wagner: “The mayor has said this is part of an anti-gay, right-wing agenda. Are you anti-gay?”

Anderson: “No, I’m not. I believe that everybody should have a chance to find love, and if that be gay or straight or what have you, then I am not against that.”

Today, Anderson is 2,700 miles away from the place he met Murray, but says he’s still battling the demons of three decades ago.

"Just being away from all of Oregon.  It's just better for me. It’s something that you don’t really want to remember,” said Anderson.

As Murray contemplates his political future, Anderson has a clear message for the mayor.

Dave Wagner: “What would you like to say to Ed Murray if he's watching this?”

Anderson:  “First of all, I believe in forgiveness and I do forgive you.  But I also feel it's time for you to take accountability for your actions and taking that accountability as far as I'm concerned, you should step down and just go, just go."

Anderson said after he turned 18, Murray wasn't interested in him anymore.  He thinks about his past every day.  He doesn't consider himself a victim.  He calls himself a survivor.

The accusers

Anderson is one of four men who say Murray had sex with them while they were teens.

Anderson and Jeff Simpson say they were abused by Murray while living in Portland in the early 80s.

Delvonn Heckard is suing the mayor. He claims he met Murray in Seattle and that the mayor sexually abused him on numerous occasions in the 1980s.

Heckard said he was a homeless teen at the time, addicted to drugs.

Since Heckard filed the lawsuit in April, Maurice Levon Jones claims he, too, was given money in exchange for sex as a teen.

Jones is currently in the King County Jail on drug charges.

In multiple interviews with KIRO 7, Murray has denied all of the allegations.

Cox Media Group