Charges: McKinley Phillips Killed Wife, Shavon Phillips, In Basement Of Woodbury Home While Kids Watched TV Upstairs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 39-year-old Woodbury man is accused of fatally stabbing his wife in the basement of their home while six children were watching television upstairs.
Charges filed in Washington County show McKinley Phillips faces second-degree murder with intent, but without premeditation, in connection to the death of his wife.
On Tuesday, the victim was identified as 42-year-old Shavon Phillips.
McKinley Phillips is scheduled to make a court appearance Thursday morning.
The six children remain in the care of Washington County Child Protection Services.
Criminal Complaint Details
On the afternoon of June 25, police were called to the home on the 7500 block of Steepleview Road in Woodbury for a welfare check. A caller reported that their son, McKinley Phillips, had called them and said that he killed his wife and her body was in the basement of their home.
When police arrived, a woman was found in the basement dead with multiple stab wounds.
The complaint says McKinley Phillips was located the following day at 3 a.m. on an eastbound Greyhound bus traveling through Monroe County, Wisconsin. He was arrested and is awaiting extradition to Minnesota at the Monroe County Jail.
In an interview with Woodbury detectives, McKinley Phillips allegedly admitted to punching and fatally stabbing his wife because he suspected that she was cheating on him. He said the stabbing took place around 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the morning, and that all the children were watching television upstairs at the time and didn't know what happened.
McKinley Phillips said he then told his son goodbye and that he wouldn't be seeing him again. He left in his vehicle in the late morning and abandoned his vehicle in the Sun Ray shopping center parking lot. He then took a bus to Minneapolis where he boarded a Greyhound bus to Chicago. He said he planned on going to New York City after arriving in Chicago.
When he was arrested, McKinley Phillips was wearing the same clothing he had on during the fatal stabbing, and detectives saw that the clothing appeared to be covered in blood splatter.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner determined the victim died of multiple stab wounds to her chest, back and neck. She also had blunt force trauma to her brain.
According to the complaint, officers had been called to the home in the past two months for domestic-related incidents. The responding officers noted that during these previous contacts, McKinley Phillips appeared to be intoxicated and was hostile to the officers.
If convicted, McKinley Phillips could face up to 40 years in prison.
If you are in an abusive relationship, call 911 or else The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. All calls are free and confidential. Violence Free Minnesota also has a 24-hour hotline ready to offer help. The number is 866-223-1111. You can also text 612-399-9995.
