62: The Louisiana Arson Family

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Robotal Podcast, where we break down case law, comedy, and chaos in the legal field. As all of you know and have known since episode one of this podcast. The chaos and the comedy are ever present in the case law, in courtrooms, around America, and around the world. But today's case. is on its own little hill in a category that I don't think I could adequately define. I think that it really has everything in the worst ways. I am appalled. I am aghast.

I am without words to describe this one. So I am going to summarize it the absolute shortest way that I can. And you will realize very quickly. That it just keeps going on and on and on. Yes, this case is real. Yes, this case is unbelievable. I understand that those two concepts don't mesh, but sometimes reality is better worse than fantasy. All I can say about this case is Sweet fancy Moses on buttered toast. What?

is going on in Louisiana. Beginning in 2010 and continuing for eight years, Hunters and property owners in Bossier Parish, Louisiana are subjected to a series of increasingly disturbing crimes, including thefts, burned deer stands, nails left in driveways, and Dogs shot and killed, houses and cars shot into, and a mock grave site that contained a covered pit. With large rusty spikes designed to lure and murder police officers, all of which police believe is the work of a sole perpetrator.

Who also sends taunting letters and leaves behind evidence to frame innocent people, including the plaintiff in this case. who was arrested in twenty seventeen over two 2012 arsons, despite his alibis for other crimes, and despite the fact that the crimes continued after he moved 60 miles away in 2014. The man now believed to be the perpetrator. had been acting as a confidential informant.

For the lead investigator since 2011. And after he was Finally arrested, the confidential informant's wife and son, his alleged accomplices in all of these crimes, plunged from a bridge in an apparent double suicide. mother and son had tied their belt loops together with a rope Before jumping off our bridge near their home. This is Phillips versus Whittington, Fifth Circuit, 2022.

Good God Almighty. This appeal arises from a lawsuit filed by Todd. Phillips, the individual who was wrongfully investigated and charged for a series of tire spikings, arsons, and vandalism of deer camps in Bossier Parish, beginning in twenty ten and continuing on. For six years. Plaintiff Todd Phillips, his wife Jodie Phillips, and his daughters Brooke Phillips, Lottinger, and Abby Phillips.

brought suit against defendants Julian Whittington, the Sheriff of Bossier Parish, Lieutenant Bruce Blitz, Captain Shawn Phillips, the supervisor of the investigation division, former Chief Deputy Charlie Owens, a supervisor of day to day operations, an advisor to Sheriff Whittington, Unknown Bossier Sheriff's Office employees, collectively BSO defendants, Jay Shuler Marvin, the district attorney.

And Gary Wilson, the alleged perpetrator of the crimes, and Carrie Lee Winford, the administrator of the estate of Cody Wilson, Gary Wilson's son. an additional alleged perpetrator of the crimes. The DA defendants, so the sheriff's office, those police officers, investigators, and the assistric district attorney filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit for failure to state a claim, alleging that they are entitled to absolute qualified and or sovereign immunity.

And they moved for a summary judgment all of the claims. Arguing that these claims can't stand because they have immunity for things that they do when they are at their jobs clocking in because that's what police officers are entitled to, no matter how obscene their conduct is, which I vehemently disagree with in all. aspects that I can. These are the facts.

The Phillips family moved to Benton, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in 2004 when Mr. Phillips accepted a position as Vice President of Finance for Fry Master, a worldwide supplier of commercial fryers and other equipment. Mr. Phillips, Phillips continues to be employed by Fry Master after having later been promoted to chief executive officer. The Phillips purchased twenty-eight acres on Old Plain Dealing Road, which were heavily wooded and had a barn and pasture area for their horses.

Their daughters, Brooke and Abby, were involved in barrel racing and the family regularly attended rodeo events. mister Phillips also traveled frequently, both in and out of the country for his job. As a result, the Phillips, who are not from Louisiana originally, did not know many people in Benton, other than their closest neighbors and persons they met through their daughter's activities.

Around 2010, approximately six years after the Phillips moved to the area, there were a series of property crimes along Old Plain Dealing Road and Cottage Grove Road in Benton, particularly involving hunting leases. A number of items were stolen, and homemade metal spikes were placed on roads and trails to and from the leases, causing flat tires to trucks. and ATVs. The crime escalated to vandalisms, arsons, and damage to property by gunfire.

A number of strange letters were mailed to individuals in the area, as well as to law enforcement. Between 2010 and 2017, there were over 60 documented crimes that occurred. However, there were no witnesses that observed the perpetrators in the acts, and there were no fingerprints. or DNA obtained from the scenes. From 2010 to 2012, the actual perpetrator also planted evidence at the crime scenes to mislead detectives and implicate other persons. Plaintiff Todd Phillips,

had been under investigation since twenty twelve and charges were first brought against him in twenty fifteen. But the crimes date back to twenty ten. The first reported act occurred on October second, twenty ten, when Nicholas Osintowski

reported to the BSO that several items were stolen from his deer lease on Cottage Grove Road. Mr. Osantosky found a hammer on his property with the initials L C written on the handle, and he believed the hammer might belong to Larry Coker. Although no evidence was ever developed.

placing that person on or near the property. Just two weeks later, on October 18th, 2010, Jimmy Hope reported finding a welded spike on a private gravel roadway, apparently put there to flatten his tires. On November 26th, 2010, that is my birthday. In 2010, on that day, I turned six. This appellate opinion on this case, which did not end the case, it simply allowed it to survive, was issued in 2022. To give you an idea of how batshit insane that is, I just got my license. on the day that this

Second act happened was reported on. Okay. And I am now Old enough. Att litigate the hell out of this. Uh, my flabbers are gasted. They are gasted. What was going on? Lord only knows and he ain't tellin'. On my birthday, November 26, 2010, homemade metal spikes were found in the dirt driveway leading into the burnt pine hunting.

Club. The spikes caused flat tires to three vehicles. A few weeks later, on December 18th, 2010, the first apparent clue in the case was discovered. BSO deputies were again dispatched to the burnt Pine Hunting Club when Kathy Narin reported finding two more homemade spikes. A red plaid men's was found lying on the ground beside the access road approximately five feet from where the spike

bikes were located, and deputies discovered a small walkie-talkie radio inside the pocket of the shirt. The name L Burns was written in black marker on the radio. And Landon Burns, who lived in the area and hunted a nearby lease, was identified as a suspect. However, it was determined that the shirt was way too small for him and no DNA evidence was found on the radio. We're gonna take a timeout pause right here because these police officers couldn't think their way out of a wet paper bag.

Why in the fresh hell would you immediately go, oh my God, case solved, L burns, because somebody folded beautifully a plaid fucking shirt? With a walkie-talkie radio inside of the pocket of the plaid shirt that just so happened to have big permanent marker on the walkie-talkie of First initial last name when Prior, okay, before the first incident that occurred here involved initials LC.

Larry Coker. Already, already, people, okay. The number of initials of different initials of different names being used in relation to these crimes, okay, these vandalisms, these crimes. These you know, attempted assault. on property in person. Yeah. Are already one too many to be putting on the names of these people, identifying these people, right? I just don't understand why you're not like, hey, like the fact that they basically planted things that had

the initials evidence related to two people in the community. I mean, yeah, we're gonna look into those people, but when it's immediately apparent that the shirt isn't extra small and Landon Burns is a double decker, okay. He's a big man, he's a big eater. Maybe instead of just going, Oh, it's not him, whatever, you consider that the person doing this is trying To frame somebody. Whoa, right? Big brain stuff going on. I know.

Is that too fast for some of y'all in the Louisiana police department here? In this parish? Apparently so. Then in January of twenty eleven the culprit or culprits got bolder. Hope found more spikes, including some behind his home.

Another man, George Boyd, reported that on January 8th, 2011, two homemade spikes had flattened a tire on his vehicle. The words, fuck you, had been scratched into the dirt. With a tree limb. On June 3rd, 2011, Tammy Brunson reported to BSO that she received an anonymous telephone call from a female who stated that she needed to clear her conscience.

and that she was with Gregory Bickham when he vandalized the Brunson's camphouse on Highway one sixty. The caller also stated that Gregory Bickham was responsible for all of the recent thefts at the camp and that he hides the property under his mobile home until a friend picks up the property and he is able to pawn the property. misses Brunson's husband, Johnny, reported that they had repeated run ins with Gregory Bickham and believed he was responsible for placing spikes on his hunting leaves.

BSO deputies followed the Brunsons to Highway 160, where they discovered their camphouse in disarray. Items were removed from the camp and thrown along the roadway. The AC unit was pulled from the house.

Threatening messages were carved into the front door, threatening messages were written on the television and other places inside the home. Bible verses were written on a chip bag and a piece of paper, and a bottle of lighter fluid was left upside down on a roll of toilet paper in a manner believed to be in an attempt. To burn down the camphouse, although no form of ignition was found nearby. Unemployed behavior. N all the time in the world. Nothing better to do.

Truly, truly, truly. Any arsonist with, again, frontal lobe activity would tell you, you gotta get in, get out. Okay. There's no time for writing your feelings and notes. And the quotes you can remember from Sunday school down on toilet paper. It's giving Zodiac killer if he was barely literate. In my opinion. At least send us a puzzle. What the fuck is this? I got a toilet paper roll and all my AC is on the fucking highway. The fuck, man.

What the fuck? A search warrant was obtained and executed at Gregory Bickham's residence based on this anonymous call, mind you. Because of course it's anonymous. Because of course someone doesn't want to put their name on top of it, right? Not like me and my sweatshirt. Someone doesn't want to put their name on top of it. They're probably totally telling the truth. If someone made an anonymous call With absolutely zero evidence, proof.

Anything to back it up, to back that baby up. And it led to a search warrant of my entire home, including under my home. I would be very annoyed. Not just at this. Faceless caller, but at the sheriff's department at this juncture. Let's get it the fuck together. Because a search warrant was indeed obtained and executed at Gregory Bickham's residence based.

Solely on the anonymous call. However, no stolen items were located at his residence, nor was there any evidence that the items had ever been located there. Are we shocked? BSO deputies then spoke with Gregory Bickham, who advised that he had been in East Texas. In the last couple of weeks working, you couldn't have asked that before

All right. And cell phone records sub subpoenaed from ATT confirmed his statement. As a result, he was cleared as a suspect and the case was marked inactive on July 15th, 2011. In July 2011, Sheriff Whittington, one of the defendants in this case, was elected to serve his first term as sheriff of Bossier Parish. Spoiler

He doesn't do a great job. On September 11th, 2011, Steven Adams reported that he was at the Four Ns Hunting Club. What do those ends mean? Why would it be called Four N's Hunting Club? I have Googled. And the only things that come up with respect to a four-ends hunty club in Bossier Parish in Louisiana just reroute to this case.

Like it's just a circular, oh well it was mentioned in this case. Yeah, but like does it ex like what is it? Did it change its name? Like why? I just would like to know because it sounds really bizarre to me and weird. Four N's hunting club. And it literally is spelled out F O U U R dash N's. What was the thought here? What was the purpose?

Can we figure that out? I don't have time to and there's too much going on in this case. I really can't have time to care as well. So if you y'all could care in the comments, that would be great. Steven Adams at the hunting club for N September 11th. Nine eleven never forget.

where he found a cell phone box suspended, approximately ten to twelve feet in the air. mister Adams opened the box and discovered a plastic baby doll with the words Cry Baby and Kiss My Ass written on it. Mark thirteen thirty five was written on the box. Mark 1335 is a verse from the Bible which says, quote,

Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back, whether in the evening or at midnight or when the rooster crows or at dawn. Records from ATT identified the cell phone box with an account registered to Billy Joe Fletcher. The Fletchers were contacted, and Leslie Fletcher, Billy Joe's wife, reported that their middle daughter Kendra has the same type of cell phone as shown on the box.

Kendra was interviewed by deputy Brandon Masters, but no suspects were identified. Almost a year after this confusing chaos began. Anonymous tipsters and victims named more individuals as possible culprits, some apparently to further mislead investigators. More crude messages were found at deer camps.

Carved into walls or left in threatening letters, or in one case, written on a TV. In September 2011, Lieutenant Blitz was appointed as the lead investigator in connection with the various property crimes. He began reviewing reports of prior offenses and concluded that the real perpetrator had intentionally placed false information or evidence at various crime scenes to mislead investigators.

Good job. Glad we got from A to B. He also determined that the real culprit appeared to know or have knowledge of Gregory Bickham and Landon Burns. No shit. Come on. Bare minimum. The bar is in hell. Truly. And that they had been named by victims as potential suspects.

In connection with his investigation, Lieutenant Blett spoke to some of the prior victims, particularly a man named Gary Wilson. Mr Wilson claimed that he was a victim of multiple property crimes. Lieutenant Blett began using Gary Wilson as an informant. As a result, they developed a friendly relationship and began to communicate regularly. During this time, our plaintiff, Mr. Todd Phillips, was traveling significant distances fairly often for work.

In late summer and fall of twenty twelve, he traveled to Tampa, Florida on August twenty fourth through the twenty ninth, to Seoul, South Korea on October sixth through eleventh, and to Chicago, Illinois on October sixteenth through the eighteenth. In the middle of October twenty twelve, Gary Wilson's deer camp burned down. Can we maybe exclude one suspect? out of town a lot, don't get your hopes up. On October twenty fourth, twenty twelve,

Chad Johnson reported two of his deer stands had been burned down. When authorities went to the scene, they found one green Coleman fuel bottle at the deer stand. On the back of the bottle, written in black, was one name. Todd Phillips. So now we have two names written in black on random objects found at the scenes of these crimes that we've already deduced and concluded, bare minimum, bars and hell that oh.

These names are probably being planted by the real perpetrator to try to get us off their tail. That's perfect. Okay. Well Could we maybe, big ask, I know, have compared The name handwriting, all right, the Todd Phillips handwriting and the pre previous handwriting, okay, on the walkie talkie, the land and gentleman. Okay. No, no, no. Squeegee, squeegee.

Could did we ever compare handwriting to those? Did we ever like test the markers, right? Look at the oh see, hey, yeah, the same fucking this is probably the same fucking person. Okay. Hello. It doesn't have to hold up in court right then, right now, all right? But you could look. At them next to each other, okay? Get some expert to pop on in, pop on over and say, yeah, the same person wrote that shit.

then you would know it's probably not one of the people whose names are present on that shit. Okay? Which we've already concluded. Like what is the deal here? Where did this go so wrong? Where did we suddenly not have the sense that God gave a rock? It just baffles my mind because this feels not super easy, right? It's not like super obvious who was doing it, but it kind of is super obvious who wasn't. That's all I'm saying.

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After you place your order, be sure to let them know that we sent you. Select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show in the drop-down menu that follows. I'm watching y'all. Go do it. You won't regret it. The next month after those two deer stands burned down on November twelfth, twenty twelve, BSO received another report of an arson at a deer stand.

Owned by Matt Caston. Mr. Kasten reported that his GPS device had also been stolen. In a nearby deer stand owned by Otis Smalley, deputies located an alleged delayed action incendiary device. made from a Grape PowerAid Zero bottle, which had been filled halfway with red diesel fuel, and a veterinary Butte syringe that had been placed into a cardboard toilet paper roll and attached

To the top of the Power Raid bottle. Okay, now it's not funny. Now it's I mean it's never been funny, right? Bad jokes, bad execution, sloppy delivery for sure. But incendiary device is Crazy, crazy shit is happening in this parish. In Louisiana. Who is buying Great Power Raid Zero? I know they had to test it.

Because it tastes like diesel fuel to me too. They had to confirm. It could have just been purple fucking Power Raid Zero. Okay. Why wouldn't you get a blue or orange or red flavor? Purple? Ew. Anything flavored grape is a headache. And it doesn't taste like grape. Does it taste like a grape? Look me dead in the eyes. It doesn't taste like a grape. Grapes have never tasted like that. If something was actually grape flavored, it would be a light. White. Bit of an opaque tope.

Color. If you squeezed grapes, they don't go bright purple. I hate grape flavored things if you can't fucking tell. Okay. Crazy choice. All right. So already I am judging the hell out of this person, but even more so for the grape option, the choice of the grape. Hopefully they dumped it out and didn't drink it. My God. And sure enough, to the shock and awe of literally no one, the name Phillips was written on the label of the Butte syringe, probably because

They hadn't dismissed him as a suspect yet, right? All of the prior people that whose names that the person doing this had implicated, the cops had already were already like, oh, okay, like we'll investigate them. Search warrants executed the whole kit, canon caboodle. And they said, Oh,

Never mind. This person's not the person. They haven't said that about Phillips. They haven't looked into his travel history, haven't talked to him apparently enough to say, Yeah, he's not a suspect. You're cleared.

Uh so this bozo, the clown, said, I'm just gonna keep doing this. This they're making it easier for me. Shit. Do my job for me, guys. I'll pin it on Todd, no problem. So that's what he did. The name Phillips was written on the label of the butte syringe. That deer stand had not been burned. And officers theorized that rain had gotten into the deer stand and extinguished the incendiary device.

A blue plastic bag filled with trash was also found next to the bottle inside the deer stand. It contained several soda cans and a styrofoam cup with the name Karen written on it. The syringe was traced to a local veterinarian who reported to BSO that it had been sold to Todd and Jody Phillips.

State court judge Parker South issued a search warrant for the Phillips home. The search warrant was executed on the evening of november twelfth, twenty twelve, when deputies arrived, and Mr. Phillips was still in his office in Shreveport. Lieutenant Blitz, in the presence of Captain Phillips,

interviewed Mrs. Phillips for approximately one hour until mister Phillips arrived home. At no point do you allow police officers to interview you about anything, about the weather, about your life, about your day, about your work. about anything without an attorney present. You say, Am I under arrest?

No, then I don't want to answer questions. I'm not going to answer questions without an attorney present. Am I under arrest? Great. I am exercising my right to remain silent and I want an attorney. Period.

Those are the only things you say. You ask for the warrant, copy of the warrant, hand it to me, you read it, you look at it, okay? You call an attorney. You tell them, I'm not talking. I'm not talking. It's not, oh, I'm gonna talk and tell my lawyer cut you shut the fuck up then and there, okay.

Even if, oh, I don't have an attorney that I know to call immediately. Okay, great. Still shut the fuck up. But in that moment, okay, whatever the attorney that you're going to have later, all right, whether it be a public defender, somebody's appointed to you. someone that you hire, okay, on your own, uh yeah, they are going to be able to invoke and advocate for your rights and basically argue that they violated your rights in any any type of those respects. Okay.

Based on whatever happens at your house. In that moment, okay. They can do whatever the fuck they want in and around your house, not because it's correct or legal or right, but because yeah, you aren't gonna be the one that who can stop them. You're not. You just have to be calm. Come plot just as if that's an easy ask. It's not. But talking never helps. Ever. Shut up. Shut it. This shouldn't have happened. Bad grade on the report card that I'm issuing right now for future clients. But

Let's see what happens regardless. Okay. Now that we dusted off our no, no, no, bad, bad, bad, bad speech, we're continuing. He then interviewed Mr. Phillips and the Phillips daughters, Abby and Brooks. Insert lecture. BSO detectives informed Mr. Phillips that the syringe and propane bottle implicating him had been found at crime scenes. The Phillips told Lieutenant Blitz that the syringe had been used for Abby's horse.

and Abby believed that it had been thrown in the trash at the rodeo the previous weekend, but she really could not remember. The Phillips also reported that the cup with the name Karen written on it had been used by a family friend who was visiting and had been thrown away. The trash along Old Plain Dealing Road, approximately 0.3 miles from their house. Although approximately eight deputies were present for the search, they found nothing of evidentiary value in the house.

Nada, nothing, no, zilch. So it sounds like shot in the dark here, someone went through their trap. Because why would they have a random cup with their friend's name on it brought to a deer hunting stand? When that had no connection to what they were actually doing, doesn't it sound like the person actually perpetrating these crimes was probably just like, let me just grab some random shit to implicate them, as opposed to like something that would make sense?

The needle kinda made sense. The syringe situation. The cup with their friend Karen's name on it. No sense at all. No sense. But whom stem I? The following day, Friday, november sixteenth, twenty twelve, the entire Phillips family. Including the daughters, okay, entire Phillips family, voluntarily provided fingerprints to the BSO. Mr. Phillips also provided DNA and a handwriting exemplar. A few days later, according to Mrs. Phillips,

A neighbor, Dale Russell, flagged her down as she pulled into her driveway. He had found a device in the bed of his truck, which was parked along the fence line of the Phillips' property. He thought the device had fallen out of the Phillips' truck. and then had been picked up and thrown in his truck by kids. misses Phillips

who believed the device to be a walkie-talkie told Mr. Russell about the search warrant executed at her home. Mr. Russell allegedly did not want to contact BSO deputies because he had been previously in legal trouble. So Mrs. Phillips offered to contact the BSO. She then pulled up to her house and Mr. Phillips and their neighbor, Sonny Bickham, were in the carport. Sonny Bickam said that it appeared to be a GPS tracker for a dog. Mrs. Phillips.

Called the BSO, but no one returned her call. Then, in December 2012, an anonymous tipster told authorities that a man named Blake Barton was responsible for the crimes. On December 14th, 2012, an anonymous call was made from a Payphone in Bossier City to a Crime Stopper's hotline. The following day, BSO received information that the caller accused a local resident Blake Barton of the crimes.

claimed that he had been framing a neighbor, and reported that evidence could be found under a tree behind his home. The caller also reported that the hole was covered by leaves, and that inside the hole were spikes used to blow out tires. mister Barton lived near the Phillips And Gary Wilson. Later the same day, Mr. Hope reported to the BSO that he had run over spikes, which caused a flat tire. BSO retrieved the spikes from the scene, along with other items of evidence.

Lieutenant Blitz and Captain Sean Phillips contacted mister Barton, who consented to a search of his home, never consent to a search. Never voluntarily consent to a search. It doesn't matter how innocent you think you are, never consent. If they needed it that badly, if they needed to do a search that badly, they could get a warrant. If they have enough, They have probable cause. To support a search.

Without with or without your consent, they can get a warrant. Go back and get a warrant. Do your fucking jobs. Do not let the cops come into your home without a warrant. Do not. Because when they do, when you consent, you're consenting to the whole fucking shebang. You they can see and look at and look through whatever they want. A search warrant needs to be particularized. It needs to with particularity describe the things.

to be searched the size of them, right? What you're looking for. So that, for example, if they're looking for a car tire, they aren't going to be allowed to look in a tiny little drawer in your desk.

Like the one I have here, right? Because it's not gonna fucking be in there. When you consent, yeah, search my house, that gives you no goddammit. That i uh Stop it. Stop doing that. That's just one reason to not do that, okay? Good God. Don't do it. It doesn't mean that you oh well what if consenting consenting not consenting to a search means that they think I committed a crime. Not consenting to a search, refusing to consent to a search of either your person, your car, your bag, your home.

cannot form the basis for probable cause. It cannot say on the warrant, Hey, Judge, please sign this because he refused to search already. That's not mm, that has no relevant. That is your right. You're allowed to refuse it. That is an unreasonable search and seizure if you cannot support it with a warrant. Thank you. Neither here nor there. Lecture over. Back to the fact.

Upon searching under the tree, as indicated in the Crime Stoppers tip, they located a bag containing tire spikes and a trash bag containing trash, including a magazine with a subscription label for a Jody fill-up. Mr. Barton denied any involvement in the ongoing crimes, and no other evidence was discovered at his residence. On December 24th, 2012, another call was made from the same payphone in Bossier City to Charles Everett, Mr. Barton's Stepfather.

Stating that mister Barton needed to leave town immediately or his trailer would be burned down. On or about December 27, 2012, just three days later, Lieutenant Blitz learned from Gary Wilson that Mr. Russell had located a GPS tracker in his truck. and given it to Mrs. Phillips.

It is still unknown how Gary Wilson obtained that specific information. Lieutenant Blitz contacted her and then picked up the tracker from the Phillips residence. The tracker was later determined to be the device stolen. From mister Caston's Deer Stand on or about november twelfth, twenty twelve. In January of 2013, Lieutenant Blitz obtained a warrant allowing for the placement of a GPS tracker on Mr. Phillips's vehicle.

The GPS tracker was placed on his vehicle on January 4th, 2013, and remained there until April 19th, 2013. But the device, never showed him to be at or near any of the deer camps. or other areas where the property crimes were occurring. Lieutenant Blitz also subpoenaed the ATT records for the cellular devices registered to Todd and Jody Phillips for the dates of December 14th and 24th, 2012. Those records did not show. Todd Phillips.

To be in Bossier City at or near the time the phone calls were made from the payphone. But they did show that Jody Phillips or the cell phone used by her. was in the general area on December 24th, 2012. The general area where the payphone is located and within range shown, however, includes a local mall and shopping areas. This is Christmas Eve. And needless to say, Jodi Phillips has stated that she was shopping on Christmas Eve. That's where she said she was. Confirmed. Please.

Additionally, although it is unclear exactly when, BSO deputies also conducted nighttime surveillance of the Phillips home on at least two occasions, but no report was prepared. I repeat, the important parts of that. two sentence situation are although it is unclear exactly when and no report was prepared. Shh shoddy police work. You cannot do that and should not be doing that ever infinity. Ever. But

can do what they want and then never get in trouble for it? Yeah. Pretty much. Pretty much, pretty much. There is no universe in which a law enforcement organization is conducting surveillance. on an individual. And we don't know exactly when that happened. We don't know why. We don't know what.

They even observed. If the conclusion was you saw nothing and they did nothing, then that should have been in a report. But no, we don't know shit about fuck. And that I think is the first blatant. Error that we can find, right? Like documentable, like yep, that is that is the wrong thing to do by this police department. Even if BSWs, right? Like they conducted nighttime surveillance.

Fine. Okay, fine. Totally fine. Their names keep getting written in black marker in the same handwriting. Okay. Have we tried comparing those handwritings to the Phillips family? Maybe not. Who knows? We don't know. There's no report, right? We don't know if they did or not, but But if you didn't, okay, or just assuming it's them, even if you did conduct nighttime surveillance, totally fine, why weren't you writing reports about it? Like why didn't you record your findings? Okay.

Why do police have to do things and then just if nothing comes of it, they just say nothing? Like, no, the nothing came of it would have been exculpatory evidence. In Todd Phillips' favor. Duh, I digress. Despite the lack of any evidence connecting these people, this family, Todd Phillips. To these crimes, other than just shoddy writing in permanent marker on a few devices, okay, duh. And someone clearly dumpster diving through their trash. Lieutenant Blitz continued to suspect.

fact Mr. Phillips was responsible for the crimes, despite having found no further ev evidence, okay? And despite the fact that other people whose names had been implicated by anonymous phone calls, by stuff written on stuff at the crime scenes, had also been subjected to searches of their homes, their properties. They had said, yeah, no, that's it's not me.

And when you found nothing, you were like, oh, period, and cleared them. The same exact thing happened to the Phillipses here, but just because the perpetrator keeps using their names on these crappy markers, you're like, we can't clear them. They definitely did it. That is I mean, Lieutenant Blitz couldn't organize a two car parade. What is this investigation, babe? What is going on here? So And I have no reason for what I'm about to say.

I have no legitimate law enforcement purpose for whatever is going on here that they decided to do because Lieutenant Blett still suspected Mr. Phillips was was the perpetrator here. It's like me saying Oh I suspected Mr. Phillips was the perpetrator. So I decided to put on blue jeans.

And scream at his daughter. Okay? That's what this next sentence is giving. In March 2013, on a Friday evening, Lieutenant Blitz, with the assistance of Captain Phillips and the approval of Sheriff Winnington, based on his suspicions about Mr. Phillips. Placed three white posters with writings and black marker along Old Plain Dealing Road, one of which was placed across from the Phillips' residence.

Bible verses were written on the posters in dot-style lettering, like the writings of the perpetrator of the property crimes being investigated. All right, what would that do? No answer? That's what we thought. What? Mrs. Phillips and Abby saw the posters on their way home from a local rodeo. They assert that they were fearful because they were aware that Bible verses had been found written at the deer camp.

Mr. Phillips was in China on business. So Mrs. Phillips called their friend, John Greer, who came over and called the BSO because again, Lieutenant Bled. Captain Phillips. the sheriff all in on this weird fucking what, like a prank, like a ding dong ditch, look at this poster. Like you're just vandalizing the neighborhood yourself for shits and gigs to do literally nothing to advance the investigation. And you didn't tell anyone.

That y that that it was you. So they're obviously gonna call the police, duh. They called y'all back and were like, hey, oh my god. And you were like, Oh my god, that's cr What is the point? Did you want them to not call like what although a deputy was dispatched? He did not admit that the signs had been placed by the BSO, nor did he pick up the signs or search the property. Red flags are flying. If I were Jodes, if I were Jody, okay, Phillips, Jody with an eye, Phillips.

I would say, oh, so y'all are useless. I'm out of here. Jody and Abby Phillips spent the night with John and Lisa Greer so that Mr. Greer could search the property during the daylight because nobody wants to clock in and do their jobs at this police department. No, they don't. No, they do not. When he returned home, Mr. Phillips went to see Lieutenant Blett.

Oh I hope, Mr. Phillips chewed him out and said, Hey, so what the fuck? Stating multiple times, according to Lieutenant Blitz's report, that the situation was becoming dangerous. Evidently so. Especially that he wasn't he couldn't be there. He was in China, different time zones. I would have been terrified too. Like, oh, these posts are being put up. My family's being threatened at home.

My daughter's my wife. Are you kidding me? And they uh unbeknownst to them, the sheriff, Lieutenant, everybody was where they were the ones who did it just to get a rise out of them. Lieutenant Bled. Still, two Mr. Phillips freaking out in his office did not admit that the BSO had placed the signs. Lieutenant Blitz's notes indicate that he perceived Mr. Phillips' statements as a threat.

So Lieutenant Blitz is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine in this investigation. In June of twenty thirteen, Lieutenant Blitz met with D.A. Marvin, Lieutenant Shannon Mack, Captain Phillips, and perhaps. Perhaps others, but again, perhaps because we don't fucking know because they're not making reports about this shit, even though they're supposed to. While district attorney Marvin has testified that he did not advise Lieutenant Blitz on whether to proceed.

He admits that he did not believe that there was proof beyond all reasonable doubt to formally charge Todd Phillips at that time. Meanwhile, crimes in the area continued. Gary Wilson repeatedly reported vandalism to his property over the next Four years into late 2016. Whoever was vandalizing the properties appeared to mock authorities, particularly investigator Blitz. The guy who was directly speaking to and super friendly with the informant. Who was the informant? Gary Wilson.

Right. During twenty thirteen and continuing into twenty fourteen and twenty fifteen, threatening letters with dot style lettering were sent in the mail, with some referring to Lieutenant Blitz as Detective Clousseau. Inspector Clouseau is a fictional character in the Pink Panther movie series. Clouseau is an inept and incompetent police detective in the French.

Surete, whose investigations quickly turn to chaos. His absent-mindedness almost always leads to destruction of property. So that's where that reference comes from. In addition, dogs were shot and killed, truck windows and houses were shot up. Spikes continued to cause vehicle damage. Plastic bottles with salt and flagging tape were left in people's yards, a toilet.

was used as a makeshift headstone for Lieutenant Blitz, and beer cans with nails were left in the driveway of a Shreveport policeman who lived across the street from the Phillips. Thefts, vandalisms, and other incidents occurred on a regular basis. In March of 2014, Jimmy Hope again reported a flat tire on his ATV, a plastic bottle left near the spike that caused the flat contained a message, quote,

Call Detective Clouseau with a phone number listed. Meanwhile, plaintiff Todd Phillips and his family remained under scrutiny despite the fact that no further conclusive evidence tied any of them to these crimes outside of the obviously, planted things from their trash and names written down. Scribbled on the crime scenes occasionally. On july fifteenth, twenty fourteen, Sonny Bickam, the Phillips neighbor and friend, received a threatening letter in the mail, which purportedly read, quote

We know your son is helping Phillips and you know it too. Chief No Hair will not give off his ass to do anything, so I will. I have always hated you anyway, you and son are going to hell and I'm going to send y'all there. According to the Phillips family, members of the community had been reporting to them that the BSO suspected Mr. Phillips of the crimes and his arrest was imminent.

The family asserts that they became increasingly concerned for their safety and feared that they would not receive any protection from the BSO. Because again, why the fuck would you arrest us? Where's the evidence here? You've tracked us, put trackers on our cars, watched us at night, unbeknownst to us, planted shit to scare the fuck out of us. And we've given you everything. Fingerprints. Like, why can't you find our DNA at the crime scene? Geniuses, Einstein's.

Lieutenant Blats, I'm looking at you. In September twenty fourteen, even though it was Abby's senior year in high school, the Phillips purchased a new home in Marshall, Texas, approximately sixty miles away. And moved in the middle of the night. Literally in the middle of the fucking night. They were like, we're done. We can't do this anymore. We were g we were essentially giving them every single reason to not think it's us.

Because we're 60 miles away. We're not doing this shit. But guess what? The crimes continued. Shock and awe to the audience. Again, the police department, Lieutenant Blett said We definitely still think it's the fill up. In March and June of twenty fifteen, BSO detective Mike Lombardito

Was assigned to investigate two cases involving the vandalism of a skid loader and the burglary of a tractor trailer on Cottage Grove Road. Detective Lombardino identified Gary Wilson as the primary suspect in both cases and advised Lieutenant Blitz. Of his suspicions. Lieutenant Blitz was not personally involved in the investigations of these two cases, but he was Detective Lombardino's supervisor. He advised Lombardino, this detective.

that quote, Gary Wilson was a weird guy, but he had cleared him end quote. Cleared him of what? If you weren't involved in these investigations, you're just clearing him of any wrongdoing always and forever? Oh, okay, perfect. Glad that's how you run things. Lieutenant Blitz instructed Detective Lombardino to to inactivate the cases. Detective Lombardino disagreed with that decision. Detective Lombardino also advised Captain Phillips that he believed Gary Wilson was a suspect.

and expressed his concerns that the investigation had been marked inactive. These offenses were never disclosed by Lieutenant Blitz or anyone else with the BSO to the DA's office. Nor were Mr. Phillips and his attorney notified of these crimes or the fact that evidence had been developed identifying another potential suspect. Between Friday, March thirteenth and Saturday, March twenty first, twenty fifteen.

Mr. and Mrs. Phillips were in Illinois visiting family. In the spring of twenty fifteen, Lieutenant Blitz learned that he would be promoted and transferred to lead the internal affairs division of the BSO. Because that's who you want at the helm of that. Internal affairs, investigating other police officers, making sure that everyone's doing everything up to par, up to speed. Perfect.

Mind you, this is always how it goes. These are the types of people, the types of officers who are absolutely the heads of the fucking internal affairs divisions. I, this is not an outlier. This is the process working as it does. I promise you. Why do I promise you that? Because there is nothing stopping them from doing this. You're like, that can't be. Otherwise I would know about it. We hear about it all the time. Lawyers do, we do.

You just don't care about it unless it directly impacts your family. You don't know about it unless it directly impacts you. Truly. Ugh. Prior to his transfer, Lieutenant Blitz and Captain Phillips consulted with ADA Holland. A special prosecutor brought into the case at the request of Sheriff Whittington from Monday, June 8th, 2015, through Sunday, June 14th, 2015.

mister and misses Phillips and Abby were in Abilene, Texas for the Texas State Rodeo Finals. Even after his promotion in july twenty fifteen, Lieutenant Blitz was responsible for preparing the narrative supplement accusing mister Phillips of committing the offense

For which a misdemeanor summons was later issued. Because mind you, when the Phillips family moved to Texas, no charges had been filed, none of them had been arrested. There was nothing except for them being informed that they were suspect.

Okay. And them giving up everything that they, you know, that the that hey, here's my handwriting sample, here's our DNA. We didn't do this shit. And also we're reporting the fact that there's creepy shit happening. Unbeknownst to us, it was y'all planting those posters anyway, but you get the point, okay? So when they move and more crimes keep happening, despite them moving and despite them being in all different types of places.

At rodeos in Illinois visiting family on work trips, blah, blah, blah. During the times when all of these crimes are taking place, Lieutenant Bled. Einstein, cop of the year, wouldn't trust him to take my trash out. for free, is going to charge Mr. Phillips with a misdemeanor crime. Stunning. Blitz continued to include in his narrative report offenses which occurred after July 2015.

And his primary narrative supplement was not entered until December 9th, 2015. So he spent six months including all of these random crimes that occurred after July twenty fifteen and so long after the Phillips family had moved. Again, wouldn't let him take out my trash for zero dollars. Wouldn't trust. that that could happen, that that task could be completed in a manner in accordance with the law.

That's just me. After July of 2015, Gary Wilson continued to contact Lieutenant Blitz via phone, email, and text messages because they're bestie, buddy, lovers. Who knows? Regarding the crimes that were occurring in that area, Lieutenant Blitz would obtain the information from Gary Wilson and convey the information to the detectives working in the detective.

Division. Lieutenant Blitz's responses to these messages indicate that he believed Mr. Phillips to be the perpetrator of literally every single new crime. Although he was no longer the investigator, and the detectives who were assigned to the case had not yet had a chance to conduct their Their own investigation. On August 3rd, 2015, ADA Holland sent a plea offer to the Phillips attorney, requesting that he plead guilty to simple damage to property and pay restitution.

in the sum of fifty nine thousand five hundred and seventy eight dollars. Mr Phillips Obviously rejected that offer. No thanks. Fuck off. On September 14, 2015, Mr. Phillips appeared at the BSO detective's office pursuant to arrangements made between ADA Holland and Mr. Phillips' attorney, Marty Stroud.

at that time, Captain Sean Phillips formally served him with a summons for the misdemeanor charge of simple criminal property damage under an a Louisiana statute that I don't need to read in full, but It's section fourteen fifty six, if you care. A formal bill of information followed, charging mister Phillips with simple criminal damage to property in connection with a single spiking incident in twenty fourteen in March.

Of 2014. ADA Holland filed a 404B notice of the state's intent to introduce evidence of more than 60 other crimes. Just accuse him of literally every crime ever that happened on that street. It's just like easy, get our jobs done, we can go home early. Perfect. These are the people we have at the home. And a 404B hearing was scheduled to begin on November 28th, 2016, in the 26th Judicial Court.

Bossier Parish, Louisiana. In the fall of 2016, just prior to the hearing, Mr. Stroud, the Phillips attorney, received an envelope at his office. On the back of the envelope was written, you are asking too many questions, and inside was flagging tape which read We are untouchable, better make Phillips. See the light and Elephant foot on a mouse tail. On November 28, 2016, the hearing was conducted under Louisiana Code of Evidence, Article 404B.

to determine if evidence of other crimes could be used in Mr. Phillips's misdemeanor criminal trial, because they're bringing it to trial on the charge of simple criminal damage to property. Tax dollars at work, baby. Not a waste of time and money at all. Wastis. A five day hearing was held. Lieutenant Blitz testified as one of the witnesses, not shocked.

But according to plaintiffs, he mischaracterized witness statements and evidence and testified falsely. Perjury, baby, not shocked again. Additionally, plaintiffs contend that they were not provided with exculpatory evidence and thus. had no opportunity to cross examine or call witnesses to testify us to those facts, nor was the exculpatory evidence disclosed to the state.

Court. If you've never listened to this podcast before, the phrase exculpatory evidence means evidence that tends to prove someone's innocence. It is evidence that supports someone not doing the crime. Th literally the exact opposite of incriminating. Okay, cool. The state, okay, the rule is the cops, the prosecutor, the state, the government, whoever is prosecuting you in a criminal trial

Is not allowed to hide that from you, even if it fucks their case. They're literally not allowed to hide it for obvious reasons. They have to disclose it affirmatively. You are not, it's not one of those things where, oh, well, they didn't ask for it, so we didn't give it to them. No, you have to disclose it without them asking. They did not do that here.

Väng firar 70 år av resor som är svåra att släppa taget om. Och det gör vi med massor av erbjudanden som är omöjliga att motstående. Boka redan nu på ving.se. De bästa resorna försvinner först. Ving som är. Det vill hem från. In January of 2017, approximately one month after the 404B hearing concluded, and well prior to the state court ruling, BSO deputies were directed to a fake grave site of D.A. Marvin, District Attorney Marvin, where a booby trap was set.

BSO deputies were tasked with determining whether this incident was connected to the arsons and spikes and identified a suspect, John Greer, based on information provided by Gary Wilson to Lieutenant Blett. Funny how the only consistent name we have here in every single incident is Gary Wilson. Lieutenant Mack reported their suspicions that John Greer was the culprit to Deputy Chief Owen. And mind you.

They're like, oh shit, maybe another guy is the culprit of all these things and not the guy that we've already had a hearing about to charge and we already let on the stand the house down about the fact that, oh yeah, he definitely did it. The Phillips guy did it.

And now we have evidence that maybe another guy did it. That's exculpatory evidence. Yeah, that has to be disclosed. Did they disclose it? Of course not. However The task force investigating this gravesite situation was disbanded by Lieutenant Blitz, I fear. I don't know it doesn't say, but I'm gonna assume it was him.

What is your deal with Gary Wilson? Why are you so far up is his situation? Are you guys holding hands and watching movies with popcorn every night? Oh my God, what? Why? You're not even on this case anymore. Get off. Get off. Neither plaintiffs nor their counsel was informed of this offense, that the task force was formed ever to investigate, that a suspect other than Mr. Philes was identified, or that the task force was then disbanded without reason.

Likewise, this information was not furnished to the state court judge, which it would have had to be in May of twenty seventeen. Mind you, how long has it been? It's been seven years since this these this stuff started happening. Seven years. I have now graduated from a sixteen year old.

to graduating from college in May of 2017, about to attend law school in the fall. That's how long shenanigans and tomfoolery and hooligan behavior is occurring and the cops are dumbfounded, but dumbfounded in a way where they said, Hey, we don't know so let's Just fucking book somebody, right? We gotta charge somebody. Any meeny money mo. Let's do the executive at a big company, always out of town for work, with a wife and

kids who have been terrorized as well. Literally no evidence pointing to them. We think they're good for it. What do you say? Amazing. In May of twenty seventeen, Lieutenant Blitz continued to exchange texts and calls with Gary Wilson regarding additional criminal activity in the area. Because apparently we're putting literally all of our faith in this guy.

For no fucking reason at all. Also in May 2017, Judge Jeff R. Thompson issued an opinion that the state had proven by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Phillips was responsible for five of the related camp vandalism and arson cases. But remember, part of this clear and convincing evidence, quote unquote, air quotes over here was uh Blats committing perjury, lying the fuck on the stand. Absolutely yes.

So, and when cops lie on the stand, um, if you watch the episode of this podcast titled The Dirty Liars, you will know that. Cops lying on the stand, whatever they say on the stand, the law is basically always gonna be in their favor. Like judges are required to basically assume that what they say is right over anything anyone else says. Perfect.

Go listen to the episode and be more upset. But for now, we'll continue. This doesn't stop at shoddy police work. Also, the lawyers involved, specifically the prosecutor, ADA Holland involved. Yeah. also can't do their fucking jobs if their life depended on it. Couldn't organize a two-car parade. Again, here's some advice. I think all of you should take two weeks off and then quit.

Because this case is as airtight as a wind tunnel. No affidavit, as required by law, accompanied the motion to essentially issue the warrant for the arrest of Mr. Phillips. Instead, ADA Holland incorporated by reference, quote, the entirety of the evidence adduced at the previous 404B hearing. Yeah, you can't fucking do that. You can't just say, remember all the shit we said before, arrest that guy. You gotta particularize the evidence here. Oh my God, the laziness. The laziness.

The corruption, the absolute incompetent. I mean, I I don't even want to say corruption because it's like corruption implies intelligence. Corruption implies some like intricate, complex network of we're fucking things up on purpose for the benefit of ourselves or someone else. This is just everyone is So dumb, deeply dumb, deeply stupid, deeply incompetent. Judge Thompson issued the warrant without requesting or considering additional information. Violent I roll to him as well.

After the charges against Mr. Phillips were amended to a felony, his jury trial was set for January 22nd, 2018. In October 2017, Chief Deputy Owens assigned Deputy Duane Huddleston to go back and look at the harassing letters. That had been sent to individuals and businesses in the area over several years with a quote, fresh set of eyes. Thank God, my lord, this should have been done sooner. Once Deputy Huddleston began investigating a person who apparently

Frontal lobe activity happening. He and other members of the task force focused on Gary Wilson as the person who was sending the letters. Thank you. Ding ding ding. We have a winner. Deputy Huddleston stated in his later report that it quote, seems the recent letters are connected to a series of spikes. Fatalisms, arsons, property damage.

by gunfire and strange letters that have been occurring in a small area south of Highway one hundred sixty and between Old Plain Dealing Road and Highway three. On november twentieth, twenty seventeen,

The plaintiffs in this case that I'm reading from filed their original complaint, the lawsuit against everybody and their mother, okay, including Bless. God bless. In December of twenty seventeen, a handwriting analysis of the letters was performed that revealed that Gary Wilson could have been the one who wrote the letters. Handwriting analysis done seven years after these things started happening, after handwriting started appearing.

Stunning. On December 27th, 2017, the DA defendants filed a motion to dismiss this complaint based on immunity, baby. I don't know what you want us to do, shrug, shrug. In February of twenty eighteen, while this lawsuit was going on early stages, Gary Wilson was arrested and charged with crimes, including the one which Mr. Phillips had been accused of.

and those crimes which the state sought to introduce as other crimes evidence at the four hundred four B hearing. The June twenty eleven burglaries of the Brunson residents and Naron residents The March twenty twelve arsons at the hunting camps of Johnny Brunson, Steven Adams, Morris Narin, and Curtis Southern.

The October 2012 arson of Chad Johnson's Deer Camp and theft of his deer camera. The October-November twenty twelve arson of Matthew Caston's deer stand. The December twenty twelve threats to Charles Everett, the August 2013 theft of theft of Dustin Williams's deer stand. And the September twenty thirteen theft of a hunting camera are all included in the amended bill of information filed against Gary Wilson.

This man was deeply unemployed. That is the only answer I can I can come up with here. Who has the fucking time, people? Who has the time? And to what end? To what end?

What are you getting out of this? You're not even stealing good shit. Like you're literally stealing stuff and then placing in other places to try to frame people. I mean, I understand psychologists, okay, the psychology of it, they just, you know, it's the thrill of the blah blah blah. And these types of people just want to be able to

be the ones to be the informant and, you know, inform on all these crimes and then also cause all of it. I get it. It's a big hullablue. It's a big drama mama. It's a big oh my God, they're getting their rocks up on this. But it just seem it we're it's putting that aside. Right. It just seems as though this is so much free time for an individual who had a wife and a son. Like, what is everyone doing for money?

For employment, right? If we're doing nothing, that's fine. No tea, no shade, right? That's not a problem. I just, I just can't imagine that. A single week of surveillance on that family wouldn't have dusted this thing up in no time, right? Single week of surveillance on Gary Wilson, you would have found him doing nothing, nothing. Nothing at all. All day except for this shit. Because duh, you're not doing this. You're not doing this.

At your lunch break, did we check and see about the purple Gatorade Zero in the fridge? Like I just This could have been easy. This could have been easy. And it could have prevented a lot of strife and terror. And it could have prevented this family from needing to literally be run out of the state. I really can't. On March 13th, 2018. So again, a month, a month, one month after Gary Wilson was arrested and charged for literally everything, the DA Marvin.

Finally, dismiss the charges against Mr. Phillips. I am sick to my stomach. Based on plaintiffs' amendments to their complaint to add Gary Wilson, okay, and his.

his son because uh accomplice implicated. But this lawsuit continued and persisted because absolutely the Phillips Are having their day in court because what the fuck was going on back there for the last six, seven years? A lot of motion practice happens. Uh, it takes years. Okay. That kind of stuff does motions to dismiss, motions for summer judgment, et cetera, et cetera. until finally the district court denied.

the defendant's motion for uh motion to dismiss and motion for parcel summary judgment basically saying, Hey, um, we should win because we have immunity. Uh, they you should dismiss their shit. And the district court said, No, we're not gonna do that. Sorry. And then they appealed that Ruling to the fifth.

circuit. Now the district court in their denial of part of the motion that the defendants filed, they did grant it, basically dismiss some of these um claims against A lot of the BSO, okay, like the sheriff's office defendants based on qualified immunity.

absolute immunity by the prosecutor. Immunity, immunity, immunity. Okay, grounds. On those grounds, which under that law, you know, yeah, like there's logic behind that. There's law behind that. But I I I disagree with the law itself. Like I think the laws need to be passed to say Fuck qualified immunity, fuck absolute immunity. There needs to be limits to this. The district court ruled that.

the claims that the Phillips family still had against the sheriff's office and against the prosecutor couldn't stand. But what they did say could stand the Fifth Circuit agreed with. So basically the Phillips, in addition to the um defendants like primarily the the Blitz, okay, defendant, primarily him, okay, the lead investigator defendant. Yeah, he appealed the denial of their emotion as to him.

All right, him, him, him. And the Phillips appealed the grant of the motion, the BSO defendants motion as to them. Okay. So it was just a cross appeal, cross cross a doodle-y doodle that the Fifth Circuit addressed. And Because it's very long, all right. But I will link it in the episode description below. This is already a long sode, a long epicity, a long episode, episodal, all right. Been so enlightening for so many horrifying reasons. This is what the Fifth Circuit says.

Okay. Most of the plaintiff's claims are unavailing. All right. They don't work out. They can't work out because of immunity. Immunity, immunity, immunity. Bad immunity doctrines that we have. Okay. As against police officers, as against prosecutors. But Todd Phillips. can sue the lead investigator for making false statements and omitting exculpatory information at a hearing. And

He can shock and awe, like genuine I am shook and happy, but like also surprised by this, because this never happens. And he can sue the sheriff for inadequate policies on preserving evidence and the use of confidential informants. Because Who in the frick fruck Patty Whack was Gary? Why was he in the informant group chat chain? What? What credibility did he have? You can't just be an informant because you say he's an informant.

There are actually surprisingly rules about that and you learn about them. Okay. And criminal procedure in law school. If you are in criminal law, you know when someone's an informant, they gotta meet some criteria. Okay. And there have to be things that are disclosed about them with respect to

how they aided the investigation, when when that stuff went when if you want to use that type of evidence at trial. Like, hello. You know what I mean? Like were you did you give him a deal? What was the vibe? Were you just, oh, I don't know. Literally invalidating every investigation that pointed to him with respect to this crime, these crimes, and other crimes. You can't really do that, right? You can't do that.

You can't do that. You shouldn't be able to do that. So yeah, the Fifth Circuit, which is uh pretty overwhelmingly very conservative, all right, with respect to uh especially immunity claims, claims against police officers, claims against um really anyone in law enforcement who does bad shit. Okay. The the circuit's very, very conservative. Just that's just an objective fact, typically, okay. You look it up. Yeah, they shockingly were like, yeah, that's

Crazy town. That is crazy town. And after at least some of the defendants very much lost that appeal, an out of court multi million dollar settlement was reached. In the wrongful arrest and prosecution lawsuit brought by Todd Phillips and his family against all of those people. Okay? Perfect. Specifically, Todd Phillips and his family reached the settlement with the Bossier Sheriff's Office and the Bossier District Attorney's Office, which investigated and prosecuted Phillips.

The sheriff's attorney, Glenn Langley, and the Phillips lawyer, Nicole Buckle, would not disclose terms of the settlement, but another person familiar with the case said two million dollars of the settlement was to be paid by the sheriff's office and its insurance company and one hundred thousand dollars to be paid by the district attorney's. Off it.

But before that, on May 14th, 2018, an article was released with an update on Gary Wilson, the man who was arrested and held in custody after being charged with. With literally all of the crimes that the cops were saying Todd Phillips committed. Quote, Deadly Booby Trap was just one of Louisiana family's bizarre series of crimes. The dad is in jail for setting a booby trap cops say was designed to murder officers. His wife and son, alleged accomplices,

Plunged from a bridge in an apparent double suicide. Deadly Spike Booby Trap. Dozens of hunting lodged arsons, a double suicide, and now attempted murder of an officer, a mother, father, and son carried out a bizarre string of crimes that has terrorized a rural community near Shreveport since twenty ten, according to the Bassier Parish. Sheriff's Office. Gary Wilson, the father, and his son, Cody Wilson, built a mock gravesite that contained a covered pit with large rusty spikes.

and tried to lure officers there. Lieutenant Bill Davis of the Bossier Sheriff's Office said Gary Wilson was charged with attempted murder earlier this month in May 2018. However, Wilson's wife, Jennifer Wilson, and son Cody Wilson, died. and an apparent double suicide in March of twenty eighteen, just days after the son was released on bond.

suspect Wilson and his family carried out a string of at least sixty arsons, vandalisms, and other crimes since twenty ten. Investigators say they discovered inscrutable clues at various Wilson family crime scenes, from taunting letters to Bible scripture, scrawled on potato chip bags, and a rotting possum on a grill. So far, sheriff's officers don't have a motive for the terror-inducing crimes. Quote, the only people who do know, one is in jail and he isn't saying much, and two are dead.

Mother and son tied their belt loops together with a rope before jumping off a bridge near their home. Their bodies were found miles downstream. The mother, fifty-three, and son, thirty-one, shared a quote, unique bond, according to an officer, quote, and appeared to be very close.

Cody Wilson still lived at home. When you're in your thirties, you go visit your parents, but you don't usually live with them. He kept to himself is how I understand it, Sheriff David said. The fires and vandalism caused Several hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Judge, one judge who has reviewed evidence in the case said the crimes may be the result of ongoing family feuds in the area. In February of 2018,

In 2018, sheriffs arrested Gary and Cody Wilson and charged them with a series of crimes related to the vandalism and arson. They suspected Jennifer Wilson of being involved, but did not arrest her at that time. Only Cody was able to post. the post Bond. Soon after, on march fifteenth, Jennifer Wilson's silver Chevrolet and Paula was found parked on a bridge over the Red River with a goodbye note inside, according to sheriff's documents.

No bodies were immediately found, and many community members suspected the two had fled the state. Even though Gary Wilson worked as a beaver trapper, well, we have a job, authorities say, the family had several hundred thousand dollars, some of which may have come from insurance fraud. they might have used to flee. These theories did not come to fruition when two weeks to the day after their disappearance, sheriff's deputies discovered their bodies badly decomposed in the river.

In April of 2022, Gary Wilson, who had been held in custody for the entirety of this Time passing, pled guilty to all of the crimes for which he was accused of, specifically. racketeering. In a plea agreement with prosecutors, he got an eight year suspended sentence and agreed to forfeit a hundred and fifty thousand dollars of the cash bond his father had posted for him after his arrest. Of the total,

Sixty-two thousand dollars will be shared by various victims who suffered property damage because of Wilson's actions. The remaining money will be split between the Bossier District Attorney's Office and Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office. For expenses related to the investigation and prosecution. Okay, but what about their misconduct? Hopefully, this will allow those victims to be made whole. Specifically

Phillips and his family are victims of Gary Wilson as well as the others, but no restitution has been offered to them. So they were included in the victim restitution roundup. That is why Yoled. I would never step foot in Louisiana again. My lord. My rebuttal for today's episode is you should probably, in many cases, trust your neighbors more than the cops because.

As far as I can see, in this case specifically, not a single person agreed with the Phillips being investigated, and they all agreed that it was probably someone a lot fucking weirder. Maybe the beaver trapper down the street. If you do have Neighborhood drama that you would like to share with the class that amounts to some crazy, crazy things such as this.

Please share in the comments. Do not use names and locations. Please describe them vaguely enough so that we don't implicate defamation issues. Let's just tell stories for fun that We all assume may or may not be true, but will hopefully give us a laugh after this obscene case. Tragic for everyone involved. And I hope there's a whole lot of healing to go around.

My goodness. I will see you guys next time. I hope you enjoyed this episode of Rebuttal Podcast. Stay safe. Stop playing with fire. Love you.