What’s next for man accused of shooting fallen Richmond police officer
The man accused of firing the shots that led to the death of Richmond Officer Seara Burton remains in the Indiana Department of Corrections system, just days after being extradited to Indiana.
But now that Burton has passed away from her injuries, questions now surround what’s next in his case and the potential punishments if he is convicted on the charges.
Phillip Lee, 47, of Richmond was extradited and placed into the custody of the Indiana DOC last week, a DOC spokesperson previously confirmed to News Center 7.
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Lee remains housed in the Miami Correctional Facility, located in Bunker Hill, Indiana, about 110 miles northwest of Richmond.
Lee was sent to the state prison, rather than the Wayne County Jail, because his charges in connection to the shooting broke his parole in connection to his most recent prison stint.
He has been an inmate in the state prison system five previous times and was released in December.
The maximum release date for Lee’s parole violation is April 2024, and that excludes any possible conviction and sentence he’d receive in the case involving Burton’s shooting, should a jury convict him on charges.
Lee is facing seven charges stemming from the August 10 shooting, including multiple charges of attempted murder.
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Those charges are expected to be upgraded to murder now that Burton has passed.
News Center 7 Lead Investigative Reporter John Bedell has reached out to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for details on the status of any potential increased charges for Lee but we are still awaiting a response.
Lee’s trial is set for Nov. 1 at the Wayne County Courthouse.
