VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A composite sketch was vital in tracking down and arresting 19-year-old Michael Phillips, who is accused of stabbing a married couple in their Ormond Beach home Dec. 27, police said.
Investigators got tips after releasing the sketch and one was from Phillips’ own father.
“We put that out (and) a couple people recognized it, including the suspect’s father,” Ormond Beach police officer Keith Walker said.
Phillips confessed to attacking Chely and Adam Phillips in their home while the pair’s children slept nearby, police said. The pair is not related to Michael Phillips, police said.
The man told officers that he broke into the victims’ home through an unlocked back door because he wanted to steal their truck.
Both victims had emotional reactions when they saw Michael Phillips in a photo lineup.
“They took (the lineup) to the victim, Chely, and she immediately picked on it, ‘That’s the guy right there, I’ll never forget him,’” Walker said.
Phillips was charged with burglary and two counts of attempted murder.
He was being held at the Volusia County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
WFTV
