Patrick Murphy, known as "Murph" to his friends, owned his own bait and tackle shop and lived in a house trailer outside of Genoa City. "Murph" often frequented Joe's Diner where his dear friend, the always down on her luck, Marge Catrooke, was a waitress. Marge and wealthy matriarch Katherine Chancellor were dead ringers for each other, so in 1989 Marge had been conned by Clint Radison to pose as Kay in a scam. Clint went to prison, but Kay and Marge ended up being friends and Marge was not charged.

Twenty years later, Marge contacted Kay for help with her alcoholism. Kay got $75,000 in cash from the bank to get Marge into rehab, but they were in a bad car accident on the way there. Kay was thrown clear, but Marge was found dead in the car by Kay's friend Nikki and daughter Jill, who were out looking for Kay. They assumed it was Kay's body, and a funeral was held for Kay.

Meanwhile Marge's friend Murphy found Kay, assuming it was Marge, lying by the creek near the accident sight. He took her to his house trailer and nursed her back to health. But Kay's memory was fuzzy, and she began working at the diner, trying to be Marge and remember her life. Murph and Pearl, Marge's co-worker, were curious about Marge's elegant emerald ring, so Pearl took it to the pawn shop where they offered her $5000 for it. When Marge discovered that Murph's bait and tackle shop was near bankruptcy, Marge took the ring in herself and the real Kay came out as she dickered with the same clerk to get $10,000 for Murphy. As she left, the clerk admitted on the phone that it was worth at least $250,000.

Kay fell on the ice at Murphy's, hit her head, and when she came to, partial memories began returning. She suddenly declared to Murphy that she was actually Katherine Chancellor. Murph didn't believe her but was convinced when he found the obituary with a photo that looked like Marge and the story of the accident which occurred near where he found her. Sad that it meant his friend Marge was probably dead instead, he agreed to accompany Kay to the mansion. Murphy felt uncomfortable there and left Kay expecting to be welcomed from the daughter she remembered as Jill. But Jill refused to believe Kay, and Kay could not convince her with the little bit of memory intact, so Jill called the police who threw Kay in jail. Kay's friend Amber used Kay's money to bail her out of jail and hired Michael Baldwin to represent her to prove that she was Katherine Chancellor.

Meanwhile, Clint Radison got out of prison, and found out that Katherine was dead, and that her maid Esther inherited one tenth of one percent of Kay's assets plus Kay’s half of the mansion. So Clint instructed his cohort Roger Wilkes to woo Esther and marry her as fast as possible or he may have to do something to keep Kay from "coming back from the dead". Clint kidnapped "Marge" and Roger's wife, Annie, kept her at a hotel. Roger and Esther were married by a Justice of the Peace, and they left "Marge" and Esther tied up at the hotel with a bomb about to go off. Amber arrived in time to untie them, the bomb went off, but no one was seriously hurt. Thanks to the jolt of the blast, Kay’s memory returned, and she and a DNA test from her son Brock convinced everyone she was Kay. But a DNA test with Jill also proved she was not Kay's daughter after all. The body in Kay's grave was exhumed and found to be Marge.

Throughout this ordeal, Murphy and Kay fell in love, Murphy proposed, and she accepted. Kay tried to assure Jill that she still loved her like a daughter, and that nothing needed to change, but Jill was having none of it, accusing Kay of marrying "trailer trash" just like she scorned Jill for being, so they ended up in a wedding cake fight at her son Billy and Chloe's wedding over it. Brock's daughter Mac also arrived to celebrate the return of her grandmother, and after some persuasion by Murphy that Kay needed her, Mac decided to stay in Genoa City. Kay's attorney Mitchell Sherman arranged for Kay's death certificate and will to be nullified, and all bequests to be returned.

Eighty year old Katherine married Patrick “Murph” Murphy in the Chancellor garden in a service officiated by her son Brock. Nikki was matron of honor, Victor best man (because Kevin was still locked up), Amber and Mac were bridesmaids. Ana sang “Let Met Call you Sweetheart”, and the catering was by Joe’s Diner, complete with chicken nuggets. Amber designed Kay’s white lace suit dress, and Nikki caught the bouquet. Michael got Kevin out on bail just in time to attend. Paul met Mary Jane for the first time, and felt she seemed familiar. Nina showed up in time to catch Jill arriving drunk, and locked her in a closet before she could make a scene. Lauren arrived soon after, and let Jill out, but Cane made her sit down and shut up during the ceremony. But afterward Billy and Cane had to drag Jill out while she raved at Kay.

Kay invited the governor to dinner to request amnesty for Kevin and Amber, but Jill told him this would ruin his career, and when Kevin and Amber showed up she maligned them and Katherine in front of him. Jill came onto the governor, took him into another room, and he came out very happy and Jill gloating that she changed his mind. While Kay and Jill were sparing, Murphy convinced him to grant the amnesty with the gift of his military rifle from one Korean Vet to another.

Amber began planning her wedding, but when Paul came up with an airtight alibi for Ryder photographed at a red light in Chicago at the time of Elkin's murder, Daniel called it off. He was sure he'd end up in prison for the murder, leaving Amber alone. But he had a change of heart by her reaction and decided to get married immediately instead. Jana was hesitant because it was Friday the thirteenth, but a beautiful impromptu wedding was quickly put together and held on the roof of their apartment building. Daniel got Kay a quick online minister ordination, and she officiated. Lauren came through with a last minute gown for the bride, Kevin and Jana stood up for them, and Murphy gave the bride away. When Phyllis found out, she crashed the wedding intent on stopping it, but Lauren kept her in check as Amber vowed to always respect Daniel and put him first.

Murphy and Kay continued to be happy together between his fishing trips and her charity events. But in October 2010, Victor sent Meggie McClain to the Harvest Festival to give Murphy his donation for the cause. Murphy and Meggie recognized each other, and she dropped the check and ran. Murphy got in his car and called Victor to warn him saying he “would not let this happen again”. Meggie got in the car, grabbed the phone out of his hands, and threw it out the car door. Murphy got so angry that he had a heart attack. Murphy reached for his digitalis, Meggie grabbed it away and threw them on the floor of the car, leaving him there to die. Later in the hospital as Murphy recovered, Meggie injected something in his IV that gave him another attack and a stroke. Just as Kay was about to make the decision not to put Murphy on life support, he opened his eyes. Unable to speak or move with “locked in” syndrome, Murphy’s eyes focused on Meggie across the room.

Meggie visited her safe deposit box for what were apparently the same drugs she used on Murphy’s son, Francis. Meggie had made plans to drug Victor, fly to Las Vegas and get married; then afterward make sure that Victor died from a sexual enhancement drug reaction on his new heart, which would make her a rich widow. Meanwhile, Murphy had finally gotten through to Ronan tapping his finger with Morse Code to warn him of danger. All went as Meggie had planned. They returned to the ranch, and once Meggie had given Victor the drug, she got cocky, asked him how he felt and told him that he was about to die and make her a rich widow. But Victor suddenly came out of his stupor, grabbed Meggie by the hair, and told her he was on to her, and that he had tricked her into confessing her intention to murder him. Ronan and Heather walked in, along with Murphy in a wheelchair being pushed by a policeman, his eyes zeroing in on Meggie accusingly. Meggie squirmed while Ronan explained that Murphy had exposed her by using Morse Code. Heather informed Meggie that they knew about her reputation as a black widow and that she was wanted in several states for suspicion of murder. Meggie was arrested and taken to jail. Later back at the Chancellor Estate, Murphy was able to speak, and told Kay, “I love you old girl.” Meggie was later extradited to Alaska, where they had an airtight murder case against her and expected to get a conviction. Murphy explained that his son Francis had been in a serious accident which left him in a vegetative state, and Meggie, as his wife, had signed the consent to take Francis off life support. After his son’s death Meggie had collected the insurance money and left town. Murphy recovered, and Meggie was later returned to Genoa City for trial and went to prison.

In 2011, Katherine had a stroke, and Murphy found himself in the same position, needing to decide life or death for his comatose wife. Luckily Katherine came-to and survived.

Murphy continues to appear sporadically as the supportive husband of Katherine and facilitator between Katherine and Jill. His absences are usually explained as "gone fishing".

On May 1, 2012, Katherine and Murphy celebrated their third wedding anniversary back with the old gang at Joe's Diner.