(BG Spoiler) Only moment that made me tear up, ever

[EkkiEkkiEkkiEkkiPtang]

So, I have watched a lot of TV and movies and read many, many books. Never in my memory has any sad moment made me well up or brought a tear to my eye.

But this did.

(SERIOUSLY LAST SPOILER ALERT)

But Murph dying.... wow
I legitimately had to to stop reading. I wasn't bawling, but I had to stop reading because my eyes were blurring and my heart was fluttering.

So my question really is... why? Why did this moment hit me so hard?!?
Was it the fact that this is a character I'd been reading about for 15 books?
Or was it just the writing? I've thought before that Jim's books are extremely good at expressing Harry's emotions, almost simplifying and boiling them down to a mere few sentences that really sum up the human experience.
As someone who has dabbled briefly with writing, why was this the single moment that hit me so hard?
Am I the only one who thought this was the most devastating moment in all of pop culture?

On a personal note to Jim Butcher, thank you for an amazing series and F*** you for making me cry

[Arjan]

Part of it is that it was so unexpected. I know a lot of people expected her to die but at that moment it was quiet and the giant was just killed. No enemy around and everyone underestimated how dangerous a police officer with bad trigger discipline was.

[Telynn]

Murphy was the first side character to Harry that we meet in the series.  I'm not even sure we meet Mister before we meet her.

[morriswalters]

Jim subverted your expectations. He created two antagonists, the coward and the overwhelming threat.  Has her beat the latter and be killed by the former.  The first lifts you high, before the second crushes you.  She should have died a hero.  Instead she died, by what is in effect, an accident. If he has manged to bring you along for the ride to this point, he now owns you. 

[Regenbogen]

Jim subverted your expectations. He created two antagonists, the coward and the overwhelming threat.  Has her beat the latter and be killed by the former.  The first lifts you high, before the second crushes you.  She should have died a hero.  Instead she died, by what is in effect, an accident. If he has manged to bring you along for the ride to this point, he now owns you.

This.
And for me the moment she died was: "Oh, so this is how it happens. Damn."
But what really got to me was Harry's reaction to her death.
Oh. My. God.
This made me cry and even writing this now is making my eyes flow over. This only happened once before, that I genuinely mourn a character in a book.
As if a real person had died. And I said to myself: hey, this is just a story. I have no right to be in mourning. It's not real. But my feelings are. 

Well done, Mr Butcher.

[Telynn]

I still wonder if Mab engineered it. 

[Arjan]

I still wonder if Mab engineered it.

No. But Uriel and Vadderung saw it coming and made a deal because Uriel had a claim too. But looking back she made some choices in Vadderung direction.

[Regenbogen]

Murphy was the first side character to Harry that we meet in the series.  I'm not even sure we meet Mister before we meet her.

Murphy was in the story before Mister. Even Marcone was before Mister. Maybe because they all have names starting with "M".   ;p

Murphy, Marcone, Mister, Michael, Molly, Mouse, Mab, Maggie, Martin, McCoy, MacAnally, Malcolm, Many More... 

[Avernite]

Murphy was in the story before Mister. Even Marcone was before Mister. Maybe because they all have names starting with "M".   ;p

Murphy, Marcone, Mister, Michael, Molly, Mouse, Mab, Maggie, Martin, McCoy, MacAnally, Malcolm, Many More... 

Going on that rant and succeeding without Morgan :p

[Conspiracy Theorist]

And now we have Mrian Mradley.

[Regenbogen]

Forgot Maeve, too.

[Dina]

Martha (Liberty), Mavra, Mortimer.

Edited: Also, your personal circumstances modify how you react, perhaps that a moment where you are vulnerable to strong feeling. I had not the same reaction, mainly because I was pretty sure that was going to happen. Also because I thought she was going to die by a bullet accidentally shot by the gun when it felt to the ground. A random, nonsensical death. The only difference is that now Harry had a target, someone to revenge kill. But yes, as soon as the gun fell to the ground, I knew that was going to be how Murphy died. And when it was not an accident I knew somebody would take it and kill Murph. I suspect Listen or any veiled foe for a moment until Rudolph took it.