February trial set for accused killer of Richmond police officer
RICHMOND, Ind. — A Richmond man accused of fatally shooting a city police officer is now scheduled to stand trial in February.
Phillip Matthew Lee, 48, recently received a Feb. 10 trial date in Wayne Circuit Court.
Lee faces a possible death sentence if convicted of fatally shooting Richmond police officer Seara Burton last summer.
Investigators said the 28-year-old Burton was shot in the head after being called to assist with a traffic stop on Aug. 10, 2022. According to state police, Lee — riding a moped when he was stopped — fired multiple shots.
Burton died in a Richmond-area hospice facility 38 days after being wounded.
According to court documents, attorneys have told Judge April Drake that jury selection in the case, set to begin on Jan. 27, could last two to three weeks.
They also estimated the actual trial would take four to five weeks to complete, with its sentencing phase, should Lee be convicted of murder, lasting an additional two weeks.
In addition to murder, Lee is charged with two counts of attempted murder along with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, possession of meth, possession of cocaine and possession of a narcotic drug.
Lee is being held in the Pendleton Correctional Facility as he awaits trial. His attorneys had requested he be transferred to the New Castle Correctional Facility, but issues concerning their ability to meet with him in Pendleton have apparently been resolved.
Lee's lead defense attorney, Denise Turner of Indianapolis, recently filed a motion seeking access to all Richmond Police Department text messages, emails and voicemail recordings that referred to her client since the time of the Burton shooting.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: February trial set for accused killer of Richmond police officer
