A court has heard that Christopher Phillips was under the influence of a mixture of heroin, alcohol, and prescription drugs when he fatally stabbed his elderly father, Douglas Barry Phillips, during a prolonged assault.
On June 6, 2009, the 73-year-old’s body was discovered face down in a pool of blood, with a shovel and a blood-stained knife found nearby at his residence in Melbourne’s south.
This incident marked the sixth time that his son, who struggled with drug addiction, had attacked him.
On the day of the murder, Mr. Phillips was in the process of organizing his belongings to move to a retirement village, as presented in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Friday.
He was in the process of selling the family home in Frankston North, which meant that his son, whom he had consistently supported despite numerous attacks, would need to find alternative housing.
Mr. Phillips had communicated to his son, Christopher Edward Phillips, 37, that even with the move, he would not abandon him, assuring him of assistance with a rental bond and furniture if necessary.
However, Phillips reacted violently, using a shovel and then a knife to stab his father approximately eight times in the abdomen and chest, ultimately penetrating his heart.
Crown prosecutor Douglas Trapnell SC noted that Mr. Phillips’ other children had encouraged him to evict his son from the home, but he refused, stating, “he is my son and I would do the same for all of you.”
Mr. Phillips maintained hope that his son would change, even after having been hospitalized five times over the last decade due to assaults from him, including twice in a single night.
Mr. Trapnell described the incident as a “sustained and exceedingly violent attack on an elderly man … in his own home, by his son” during Phillips’ pre-sentence hearing.
In the lead-up to the incident, Phillips had been abusing alcohol and heroin, consuming 20 tablets of Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication, on the day of the murder.
Several adult children of Mr. Phillips were seen sobbing as their victim impact statements were presented in court.
These statements, composed by his children and grandchildren, all conveyed concerns about potential violence should Phillips be released from incarceration.
“I fear if he is released he will come after my wife and other family members,” said Mr. Phillips’ son, Clifford, who had seen his father that day.
Robyn, Mr. Phillips’ daughter, shared her distress, stating that she experiences “absolutely horrifying” imagery of her father’s murder.
“I wish I could have saved him,” she added.
The grandchildren expressed their longing for their “Pa” and voiced their fears regarding their uncle.
Defence counsel Dermott Dann highlighted that Phillips had a long-standing history of substance abuse that began at the age of 12.
He has previously served time in prison seven times.
While Mr. Dann acknowledged that the crime committed was “extremely violent and disturbing,” he pointed out that Phillips showed early admission of guilt, including confessions to friends and neighbors soon after the incident, saying, “I think I killed my Dad.”
Mr. Dann argued that his client deserved a sentence reduction due to his guilty plea.
Justice Simon Whelan is scheduled to deliver Phillips’ sentence on August 20.
