Ralph James Phillips

Case identification

Ralph James Phillips, also known as “Bucky” Phillips, was a convicted murderer.

Characteristics

Phillips was described as having a history that included childhood running away from his abusive father and later stints in jails and prison. He had previously been convicted on multiple burglary and larceny counts and was a fugitive for a prolonged period.

Timeline

• April 2, 2006 — Phillips escaped from the Alden Correctional Facility in Erie County near Buffalo, cutting through the kitchen ceiling with a can opener.
• May 2006 — During a transfer out of Chautauqua County Jail in Mayville, Phillips left a note threatening “to splatter pig meat all over Chautauqua County,” with pig being derogatory slang for a police officer.
• June 10, 2006 — State Trooper Sean Brown was shot in the abdomen during a traffic stop in Veteran, New York.
• June 27, 2006 — Police in Chautauqua County, New York found an abandoned backpack containing items tied to Phillips, including the .38 caliber handgun he had allegedly used in the June 10 incident.
• August 8, 2006 — Police were minutes behind Phillips after he was reported on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in Niagara County, New York, but he disappeared into the woods.
• August 19, 2006 — A policeman checking out a motorcycle with invalid tags chased Phillips into an apartment complex, where a group of people believed to have been hiding him for several days were arrested; Phillips escaped once more.
• August 31, 2006 — During a stakeout in Pomfret in Chautauqua County, New York, a second shooting took place involving New York State Troopers Donald Baker Jr. and Joseph Longobardo.
• September 3, 2006 — Officer Joseph Longobardo died at Erie County Medical Center following an earlier unsuccessful attempt to save his life by amputating his leg.
• September 8, 2006 — Phillips surrendered to Pennsylvania State Police around 8:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time and was captured in Warren County, Pennsylvania.
• September 9, 2006 — Phillips was charged in Chemung County in connection with the shooting of Trooper Sean Brown; the unlawful flight to avoid prosecution charge was waived at the request of United States Attorney Terrance Flynn.
• September 10, 2006 — State troopers recovered a .308 rifle in the woods near the field where Phillips was captured.
• September 13, 2006 — New York State Police found a .308 rifle on September 10 in the woods where Phillips was believed to have spent time before his capture on September 8.
• November 9, 2006 — Trooper Baker was released from Hamot and transferred by NYSP helicopter to Albany Medical Center to continue his recovery.
• November 18, 2006 — Phillips claimed that guards at the Chemung County Jail were mistreating him due to his notoriety and sent a six page letter to the Buffalo News detailing abuses.
• November 29, 2006 — Phillips pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated murder (for the shooting of Joseph Longobardo) and attempted aggravated murder (for the shooting of Donald Baker Jr. and Sean Brown).
• November 30, 2006 — Phillips pleaded “guilty as hell” in Erie County court to claims he broke out of the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden, NY.
• December 19, 2006 — Phillips was sentenced in Chautauqua County Court to life without parole for shooting and killing Trooper Longobardo and 40 years to life for shooting and wounding Trooper Baker.
• December 20, 2006 — Phillips was sentenced in Chemung County Court to 40 years to life for shooting and wounding Trooper Brown.
• Early 2007 — Phillips was memorialized in the song titled “Bucky Phillips” by the Patriot Act of Rockland County, New York.

Background

Ralph James “Bucky” Phillips was raised in Stockton, New York. He was described as a non status Seneca Indian, meaning he was not recognized as a citizen of the Seneca Nation of Indians, and he had ties to several Indian reservations in western New York. He had contacts from “many stints in jails and prison.”

Phillips was described as having spent much of his life on the run, starting as a child by running away from his abusive father.

Prior criminal history included convictions for three counts of burglary in the third degree and two counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, along with other various crimes.

At the time of his escape, Phillips was four days short of release on a 90-day sentence for violating the terms of his parole. He had been released in November 2005 after a burglary conviction but failed to report to his parole officer and was reimprisoned on January 6.

There was reported controversy about events leading to revocation of his parole. Family members claimed that the ex-husband of Phillip’s ex-girlfriend Kasey Crowe intentionally misinformed Phillips’ parole officer in a ploy to return him to jail, and that the ex-husband fabricated a story about being threatened by Phillips. People close to Phillips said he was not a violent person and that he was looking forward to rebuilding a relationship with his daughter and grandchildren.

The offence

First shooting (Trooper Sean Brown)

On June 10, 2006 around 1 a.m., State Trooper Sean Brown was shot in Veteran, New York (approximately 70 miles south of Syracuse). Brown had seen a Ford Mustang reported stolen. As Brown approached the vehicle, the driver later identified as Phillips shot at him and sped off. The officer was seriously injured with gunshot wounds to the abdomen.

Second shooting (Troopers Donald Baker Jr. and Joseph Longobardo)

During a stakeout of a related member’s house on August 31 in the town of Pomfret in Chautauqua County, a second shooting took place. Police believed Phillips pointed a high-powered rifle and shot two New York State Troopers: Donald Baker Jr., 38, and Joseph Longobardo, 32. The officers never saw their assailant and evidence had not yet been presented to tie Phillips with this shooting.

Eleven total shots were fired. Officer Baker was struck in the back and flown to Hamot Shock Trauma Center in Erie, PA. Officer Longobardo was struck in the leg, severing an artery, and was flown to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, NY. On Sunday, September 3, 2006, Officer Longobardo died following a prior unsuccessful attempt to save his life by amputating his leg.

On November 9, 2006, Baker was released from Hamot and transferred by NYSP helicopter to Albany Medical Center to continue his recovery.

Uncharged/conditional allegations regarding shootings

The record stated that numerous other state and federal charges were pending. It stated that a murder and a second attempted murder charge could be filed if evidence could tie Phillips with the shootings of Troopers Baker and Longobardo. It also stated that when Phillips was charged on September 9 there was not enough evidence to charge him with the August 31 shootings.

Investigation and fugitive period

Phillips was wanted for the shooting of three New York State troopers, one of whom died from his wounds.

On September 7, 2006, he became the 483rd fugitive listed by the FBI on the Ten Most Wanted list. Prior to his capture, he attained the distinction of being one of the few fugitives simultaneously on both the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and the Marshal Service’s list. He replaced Warren Jeffs on the FBI’s list and was apprehended the day after he was added.

Before capture, Phillips was described as being on the run starting April 2, 2006 and lasting until September 6, 2006. The escape was described as occurring by cutting through the corrugated metal roof of the facility’s kitchen using a can opener.

Police suspected he stole numerous vehicles and broke into several cabins across Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania. Police believed that at some point he used a stolen vehicle to travel as far away as eastern Tennessee. It was rumored he went to Tennessee in mid August and stole license plates to help him evade police; however, it was also stated that he was spotted in Niagara County, New York during this time.

Forty-one guns were stolen from a gun store in a burglary believed to be connected to Phillips. Thirty-three weapons were recovered from the trailer of a man arrested for aiding and abetting Phillips’s flight.

Local manhunt support included local businesses selling t-shirts with phrases including “Where’s Bucky?”, “Run, Bucky, Run!”, “Don’t Shoot, Not Bucky,” and “Got Bucky?” (a parody of Got Milk?), and a local restaurant selling a “Bucky Burger” because it was “runny.”

Additional people accused of harboring or involvement during the manhunt

• A policeman checking out a motorcycle with invalid tags chased Phillips into an apartment complex on August 19, where a group of people believed to have been hiding him for several days were arrested; the arrested individuals were Natasha Berg, Timothy Seekings, and Alice Kelley.
• On August 24, three more people including former girlfriend Kasey Crowe and daughter Patrina Wright were accused of harboring Phillips. Wright was charged with child endangerment, and her three children, including an infant, were removed from her custody.
• A later detail stated that Todd Nelson of Ludlow, Pa., was accused of harboring Phillips for 11 days.
• The record stated that Wright’s children were returned to her custody.

Manhunt steps and dated events

• April 2, 2006 — Escape occurred from the Alden Correctional Facility in Erie County near Buffalo using a can opener.
• April - June 2006 — Police suspected Phillips was related to break-ins at hunting cabins in Erie, Allegany and Cattaraugus counties. A pickup truck stolen in Allegany County ended up in Ohio where another vehicle was stolen, and authorities suspected Phillips was involved. He was allegedly spotted by residents in areas around Sinclairville, Stockton, Randolph, Great Valley, and Bradford, PA. Police speculated that Phillips’ relatives were staging crimes to distract them and throw them off his trail.
• June 15, 2006 — Police scoured the Elmira-Binghamton area and set up checkpoints in Pomfret in Chautauqua County because Phillips had significant ties to the area.
• June 20, 2006 — Phillips was believed to have stolen a Dodge Caravan in the town of Hancock east of Binghamton.
• June 25, 2006 — Brad Horton was mistaken for Phillips and shot four times and killed by a New York State trooper; the trooper claimed he was being dragged and fired the shots because his life was endangered. The case was under review by a grand jury.
• June 26, 2006 — The Dodge Caravan stolen in Hancock was found in the town of Sheridan; police believed Phillips was on the loose in northern Chautauqua County.
• June 29, 2006 — Police dropped a dragnet around Cassadaga.
• July 8, 2006 — A firearm found in the town of Charlotte was linked to the June 10 shooting of Brown.
• July 13, 2006 — The State Police doubled the reward for helping catch Phillips to $50,000. Wounded trooper Sean Brown visited Chautauqua County to “boost morale.” DA Foley stated the Horton case was still under investigation and would likely go to a grand jury.
• July 16, 2006 — A burglary near Randolph was linked to Phillips. The manhunt shifted to Cattaraugus County and a command post was established at Randolph Central School; State Police maintained their Fredonia command post.
• Late July 2006 — Police closed their Randolph command post and largely abandoned their Cattaraugus County operations.
• Aug. 8, 2006 — A car stolen in Olean was recovered in Niagara County and linked to Phillips; police abandoned Chautauqua County.
• Aug. 9, 2006 — State Police reported two confirmed sightings of Phillips and released a fresh photo of him looking into the camera from under a camouflage baseball hat. Police did not say how they obtained the photo; the photo was taken in Niagara County near the Tuscarora Indian Reservation.
• Aug. 19, 2006 — Phillips was spotted in Cassadaga; police arrested three Cassadaga residents for helping him. Phillips escaped out of a rear window of the building after the rider was later identified as Phillips.
• Aug. 24, 2006 — Three more people were accused of harboring Phillips, including former girlfriend Kasey Crowe and daughter Patrina Wright; Wright was charged with child endangerment; her three children were removed from her custody.
• Aug. 28, 2006 — State Police called Phillips a suspect in the theft of several weapons including high-powered rifles from a Chautauqua County gun shop over the weekend and the theft of a car a few miles away.
• Aug. 30, 2006 — Pennsylvania State Police found 35 of 41 stolen guns at a residence in Ludlow, PA, 20 miles south of the New York border.
• Aug. 31, 2006 — Two state troopers were shot sniper-style and critically wounded outside Crowe’s home in the rural town of Pomfret in Chautauqua County; they were helicoptered out by state police aviation.
• Sept. 1, 2006 — State Police said Phillips was the prime suspect in the shootings. State Police Superintendent Wayne Bennett ordered another 75 troopers to help with the manhunt. The reward for his arrest jumped to $225,000.
• Sept. 4, 2006 — Police from around western New York joined the manhunt; hunters were told to stay out of the woods.
• Sept. 5, 2006 — Children returning to school in the search area held recess and sports practice indoors while troopers continued checking cars at roadblocks.
• Sept. 6, 2006 — U.S. marshals named Phillips to their “15 Most Wanted” list.
• Sept. 7, 2006 — Phillips was added to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list. Nearly 400 troopers, joined by federal and local police, searched for Phillips. Announced rewards for helping catch Phillips topped $400,000.
• Sept. 8, 2006 — After a stolen car was pulled over early in the morning near the Pennsylvania-New York line, a man believed to be Phillips ran into the woods. As many as three cars were stolen as the chase led into Pennsylvania. Authorities evacuated a golf course near the state line in Russell, Pa., where shots were fired. Local, county, state and federal officers, some with dogs, searched for Phillips. Phillips surrendered to Pennsylvania State Police about 8 p.m., walking out of a field with his hands up.
• Sept. 9, 2006 — Phillips was charged with eight counts including attempted aggravated murder, first-degree attempted murder and second-degree attempted murder in Chemung County in connection with the shooting of a state trooper on June 10 that intensified a five-month manhunt. The record stated there was not enough evidence to charge him with the August 31 shootings. The unlawful flight to avoid prosecution charge was waived at the request of United States Attorney Terrance Flynn, clearing the way for more serious state charges.
• Sept. 10, 2006 — State troopers recovered a .308 rifle in the woods near the field where Phillips was captured.
• Sept. 19, 2006 — Daniel De Federicis, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers, released a letter claiming that the manhunt was, “poorly planned, poorly organized, poorly led and poorly executed” and demanded an independent investigation of the search.

Arrest

Phillips was captured by Pennsylvania State Police at around 8:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time on Friday, September 8, 2006. He was captured without gunfire. He was hiding in a lightly wooded area at the time of capture and was spotted by a Pennsylvania police officer from a distance; the message was relayed to troopers in the immediate area. As police methodically surrounded him, Phillips surrendered with his hands up in the air.

New York State Police Superintendent Wayne Bennett said Phillips had a “defeated look,” and described the search as narrowing “like closing your hand,” and said officers were “all on the same page.”

The record stated that many supporters said he only gave up because he had no weapons to fight back with.

The record stated that earlier that day Phillips had bailed out of a moving car while being chased by police, leaving his weapons and supplies behind.

Phillips was unarmed and uninjured when taken into custody by Pennsylvania State Police after a Warren County sheriff’s deputy with binoculars spotted him. The news that Phillips had been brought in alive was described as important to the family of slain Trooper Joseph Longobardo.

Quoted remarks at arrest

Superintendent Wayne Bennett said:

“It’s like closing your hand. It gets smaller and smaller.”
“You have to pull it together. You have to be on the same page, and we were all on the same page today.”
“There was a helicopter hovering over his head and a SWAT team down the woods line. He knew the game was up.”
“As far as the state police are concerned, you can’t shoot one of ours. We will track you down. We will hunt you down. Sooner or later, they take a last look over their shoulder and the game is up. You can’t be shooting at the people who protect society.”
“I told you he had to keep looking over his shoulder and we’d be there, and tonight we were,” Bennett said.

Bennett also said:

“It closes a certain chapter in the book for the (Longobardo) family and for us,” Bennett said.
and: “(Phillips) was the person who would make the choice of how this would end. Now this miserable creature will suffer for the rest of his life in the New York prison system,” he said.

Charges and procedural matters

Phillips was originally charged by U.S. Marshals with Interstate Flight to Avoid Prosecution. Federal authorities waived their charges so New York State could proceed with Attempted Murder charges as a result of the shooting of Trooper Sean Brown.

At the time of his arraignment, Phillips was charged in Chemung County Court with:

• Attempted aggravated murder.
• First-degree attempted murder.
• Second-degree attempted murder.
• Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
• Two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
• Third-degee criminal possession of stolen property.
• Fourth-degree possession of stolen property.

The arraignment followed a brief federal court appearance in Buffalo on a charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, after which the judge agreed to turn Phillips over to state police to face the state attempted murder charge.

Trial and plea

On November 29, 2006, Phillips pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated murder for the shooting of Joseph Longobardo and attempted aggravated murder for the shooting of Donald Baker Jr. and Sean Brown.

On November 30, 2006, Phillips pleaded “guilty as hell” in Erie County court to claims he broke out of the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden, NY.

In Phillips’ own words, the record stated he said: “guilty as hell”.

Sentencing

On December 19, 2006, Phillips was sentenced in Chautauqua County Court to life without parole for shooting and killing Trooper Longobardo and 40 years to life for shooting and wounding Trooper Baker.

On December 19, the record also referenced a sentence of 25 years to life in Erie County Court on escape charges.

On December 20, 2006, Phillips was sentenced in Chemung County Court to 40 years to life for shooting and wounding Trooper Brown.

Phillips served his sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, described as the state prison farthest from his family.

Outcome

The record described Phillips as captured and sentenced to terms of life imprisonment without parole and decades to life for the shootings and escape.

Aftermath

The record stated that Phillips was memorialized in early 2007 in the song titled “Bucky Phillips” by the Patriot Act of Rockland County, New York.

The record also described controversies about law enforcement conduct during the manhunt, including claims of illegal searches, overtly harassing behavior, and belligerence by investigators.

Daniel De Federicis released a letter demanding an independent investigation, asserting that the manhunt was “poorly planned, poorly organized, poorly led and poorly executed.”

Phillips also claimed mistreatment while in the Chemung County Jail. The Chemung County Sheriff Christopher Moss denied the claims and said Phillips was a model prisoner but was under surveillance at all times because he was considered an escape risk.

Note left during transfer

During a transfer out of Chautauqua County Jail in Mayville, Phillips left a note threatening “to splatter pig meat all over Chautauqua County.”

Other details

Individual victims and relevant details named in the record

• State Trooper Sean Brown: shot in the abdomen during the June 10 incident in Veteran, New York.
• State Trooper Joseph Longobardo (32): shot in the leg with an artery severed; died on September 3, 2006 after amputation attempt.
• State Trooper Donald Baker Jr. (38): shot in the back; flown to Hamot Shock Trauma Center and later transferred to Albany Medical Center on November 9, 2006.

Person accused in separate shooting incident

The record named Brad Horton as mistaken for Phillips on June 25 and killed by a New York State trooper; the case was under review by a grand jury.

Family and related individuals

• Kasey Crowe was Phillips’ ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter.
• Patrina Wright was Phillips’ daughter.
• Wright’s children were removed from her custody after Wright was charged with child endangerment, and later returned to her custody.
• Todd Nelson of Ludlow, Pa., was accused of harboring Phillips for 11 days.

Reward and manhunt lists

The record stated the reward for information leading to arrest topped $450,000 and that announced rewards for helping catch Phillips top $400,000. It also referenced U.S. marshals naming Phillips to their “15 Most Wanted” list on Sept. 6 and adding him to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list on Sept. 7.

Weapon found and forensic testing

On September 13, it was announced that New York State Police found a .308 rifle on September 10 in the woods where Phillips was believed to have spent time before his capture on September 8, and forensic tests were being conducted.