Thomas Raymond Phillips, III, a 36-year-old resident of Fort Towson, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for First Degree Murder in Indian Country. Additionally, he received a 120-month sentence for the use and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime. These sentences will be served consecutively.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the Choctaw County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Phillips was found guilty on October 25, 2023, by a federal jury. The incident occurred on December 19, 2020, when Phillips fired several shots into a bar in Fort Towson after being removed for causing a disturbance. One shot resulted in the death of a patron at the scene. This took place within Choctaw County on the Choctaw Nation Reservation.
United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson stated: “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.” He also praised law enforcement and prosecuting attorneys for their efforts.
U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III presided over the sentencing hearing. Phillips remains in custody awaiting transfer to a United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his non-paroleable sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dean Burris and T. Cameron McEwen represented the prosecution.
