Seattle Mayor to Resign Amid Sex Abuse Claims from Vet, Accusers

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FILE - This June 14, 2017 file photo Seattle Mayor Ed Murray takes a question at a news conference at City Hall in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
FILE - This June 14, 2017 file photo Seattle Mayor Ed Murray takes a question at a news conference at City Hall in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has announced plans to resign following multiple accusations of sexual abuse.

The news came after a fifth person reportedly came forward to accuse Murray of sexual abuse -- his younger cousin, who alleges that Murray repeatedly molested him in the 1970s.

Accuser Joseph Dyer, who is a dialysis technician and Air Force veteran, says the molestation occurred in New York when he was a teen, according to the Seattle Times.

The 54-year-old Dyer -- Murray's first cousin once removed -- told the newspaper that he wants the mayor punished for the alleged actions, saying, "I have had enough. ... Something has got to be done."

Murray denies the accusation, attributing it to a longstanding family schism. 

The mayor had already announced earlier that he would not seek a second term.

Murray has announced that he will step down effective 5 p.m. Wednesday.  

Dyer reportedly said the incidents occurred when he was 13, while Murray, who was then in his early 20s, shared a bedroom with Dyer in his mother's Long Island home.

Four men had previously accused Murray of sexually abusing them. Murray has denied all of the allegations.

Before being elected mayor in 2013, Murray was a long-time Democrat state lawmaker who led the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington state.

As mayor, Murray pushed to raise the city's minimum hourly wage to $15.

Fox News' Frank Miles and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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