UPDATE (01-07-16): The suspect and victims are not related, according to OBPD Captain Jim Crimins. Phillips is held on $500,000 bond following his court appearance.
Earlier reporting below.
Ormond Beach, FL – A 19-year-old man is now in custody for stabbing an Ormond Beach couple after breaking into their home during the Christmas weekend.
Michael D. Phillips of Ormond Beach was arrested after he was found on South Peninsula Drive in Daytona Beach, according to an Ormond Beach Police Department press release sent on Wednesday night.
As of 8:30 PM Wednesday, Phillips hadn’t been booked at Volusia County Jail, but jail records do show he had been arrested in November 2015 on charges of throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle and criminal mischief.
The break-in happened around 5 AM on December 27th at a residence on the 500 block of Andrews Street. That’s just south of Sanchez Park near US 1.
OBPD says the victims – 30-year-old Adam Phillips and 27-year-old Shelly Phillips – were in the home along with their 2 small children when the suspect broke in that Sunday morning and stabbed the couble at least 7 times each with a knife. The suspect then left without taking any property or making any demands.
It’s unclear in the arrest report if there’s any relation between the suspect and the victims, but the victims told OBPD that they don’t know the suspect and they have no idea why he broke in and hurt them.
Paramedics took the married couple to Halifax Health Medical Center for treatment after officers had to force their way into the home because neither of the victims could make it to the front door after calling 911 for help. The kids were not hurt.
Doctors had to remove some of Adam’s intestines and fix a lung that had collapsed as a result of the attack, per the report.
The report shows first responders found an open door on the side of the house that they believe the suspect used to get in and also to get out. It also showed that Shelly discovered the suspect crouching near the living room couch after she had woken up minutes earlier.
Both victims told police that the suspect never said a word throughout the attack.
OBPD was tipped off to Phillips a few days after the attack because he was a suspect in another home burglary on Andrews Avenue. Officers say he denied attacking the couple, though he did find it interesting they share the same last name.
A composite sketch of the suspect released later on that week by OBPD led to several tips which identified Phillips as the suspect. The couple picked out his mugshot in a photo lineup, per officers.
Michael D. Phillips (mugshot courtesy of VCJ)
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