An Oklahoma man has received a life sentence for committing first-degree murder in Indian Country. This comes after a shooting incident at a local bar in 2020.
Thomas Raymond Phillips III, a resident of Fort Towson, has been handed down a sentence by U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III. The 36-year-old has been sentenced to serve time in prison for his involvement in a crime of violence. In addition to his prison term, Phillips has also been given a 10-year sentence for using and discharging a firearm during the commission of the crime. Both sentences will be served consecutively.
On December 19, 2020, Phillips was thrown out of a bar in Fort Towson for starting a fight. After being kicked out, Phillips proceeded to shoot multiple rounds into the bar, resulting in the death of a customer.
“The defendant’s malicious and senseless acts stole a life, and the defendant will spend his remaining days in prison paying the price justice demands for his crimes,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “I commend county, state, and federal law enforcement for their investigative work and the prosecuting attorneys for presenting the case and advocating for the victim.”
The Choctaw County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) collaborated in a multi-agency investigation of the case.
In October 2023, a federal jury found Phillips guilty of the charges.
Judge Heil oversaw the sentencing hearing, during which Phillips was given a life sentence for the murder conviction and an extra 10 years for the firearm charge. These sentences will be served one after the other, and Phillips will stay in custody until he is transported to a federal prison facility. It’s important to note that there is no chance of parole in the federal system.
The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dean Burris and T. Cameron McEwen.