Murdered man's sister distressed by county response to request for cremation costs

Crystal Phillips says arranging for her murdered brother's burial shouldn't be this hard.

But more than six weeks after receiving word Dec. 8 that Shaquille Phillips had been killed in a machete attack at a Bloomington homeless camp, the Seattle woman is still haggling with local officials about payment for her older brother's cremation and burial costs.

The 31-year-old's ashes are bagged up and boxed at The Funeral Chapel in Bloomington, one of two local funeral homes that will cremate a body for $1,500, the discounted amount township trustees in Monroe County pay for an indigent resident's cremation.

"When this happened, I didn't know what the process was. I didn't know what the costs were," Crystal Phillips said. "I've never had to bury someone before."

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Her brother was indigent and homeless when he died, making him eligible for what's called "burial assistance" through Indiana's township trustee system. The encampment where Phillips' body was found is in Bloomington Township, where Efrat Rosser is the elected trustee.

Indigent Indiana residents who die are allowed up to $1,500 for cremation costs and $2,965 for a basic burial from the township trustee office, Rosser said. The money is tax generated. Last year, Bloomington Township paid out $17,629 for indigent burial costs.

On Jan. 2, Rosser sent an email to Phillips extending condolences and notifying her the township could offer $500 in burial assistance, not the $1,500 sought “towards the goal of honoring your brother’s spirit and legacy.”

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“I wish the township could do more to support your full vision for his final resting place” Rosser wrote. “As you know we are limited to assisting with the very basics. The complicating factor is the funds raised on GoFundMe $3,110 currently.”

Phillips said the money she raised was for travel expenses to and from her home in Seattle and purchasing a burial plot at Valhalla Memory Gardens; they cost $2,100. She also wants to buy a stone grave marker.

The email explains that state guidelines direct that such on-hand cash “should go towards a basic cremation or burial first, and any further expenses (vault, marker) are always left to the family or loved ones.”

Seattle woman tries to appeal, is told to appear in Monroe County

Two days later, Phillips sent notice that she was appealing the decision.

The county commissioners serve as hearing officers when someone appeals a township trustee decision. Commissioners’ administrator Angie Purdie sent Phillips an email with instructions on how to proceed.

“In order to file the appeal, you must go to the auditor’s office,” Purdie wrote, offering her condolences. “I do not believe your email is sufficient for the 15-day appeal process however, I encourage you to go to the auditor’s office and complete the necessary paperwork. They will advise you as to the proceedings.”

Phillips responded. “I actually live on the other side of the country. Coming in person is not possible for me."

Purdie advised “the appeal process is a formal hearing and as such you are required to appear in person.” If she didn’t “the hearing will not be held.”

Phillips spoke to auditor Catherine Smith, who said she would try to arrange for the hearing be held via Zoom. But county commissioner Penny Githens told Phillips in a follow-up email that a live online video hearing isn’t allowed.

“There is no online meeting for the appeal. This has been stated multiple times,” Githens said in response to an email Phillips sent the day before the Jan. 18 appeal hearing date. She asked for a continuation to sort out the issue.

“I do not have the authority – as one of three county commissioners – to postpone an appeal hearing or to offer it in a virtual format. It would take a change in our ordinance to do either of these things,” Githens wrote the next day, 20 minutes after the hearing was to have started.

“To reiterate, you received an email on Jan. 4, 2024 — the day you filed the appeal — from Angie Purdie of our office informing you that the hearing would be conducted in person," Githens said. “A letter has been sent to you with the decision. Additional information is included in the letter advising you of your rights in this matter.”

County attorney Jeff Cockerill weighed in when Philips asked whether appearing via Zoom is considered being in person. “Indiana Code 12-20-15-5 requires the appellant to be present at the hearing. There is no requirement, and no history, of township appeals to have an electronic access to meetings,” he stated in an email.

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Phillips balked, pointing out that Smith had offered to set up a Zoom hearing.

“Cathy Smith does not work for the Monroe County Board of Commissioners,” Githens responded. “The auditor does not report to the Board of Commissioners. So, I will repeat, no one from the Board of Commissioners’ office offered you a virtual meeting. Our office has said from the beginning of your appeal that you would need to appear in person.

“This matter is now over,” Githens concluded.

But it’s not. Shaquille Phillips’s sister says she will take the next step in the appeal process. "Their initial emails were respectful, but not very helpful, then it got worse. Now it feels to me like a matter of principle."

She closed down the GoFundMe but didn’t remove the portion criticizing county officials, which Githens asked her to do. Instead, she added a paragraph.

“This entire experience has been one of the most dehumanizing and uncoordinated experiences of my life. My wish is to lay my murdered brother to rest peacefully, in a place he can call his own at the end of his life and I am being punished for trying to have the forethought to fundraise money to help with expenses.”

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Township offers murdered man's sister 1/3 of cremation cost law allows