It was November 3rd, 1998 when eight-year-old Maddie Clifton went missing in Jacksonville, Florida. After she was reported missing, police began searching for her and interviewing her neighbors.

They quickly focused their suspicions on a particular neighbor. This neighbor had previously been arrested and accused of sexual battery in two cases over 15 years ago, but in both instances, the charges against him were eventually dismissed.

As it turned out, their suspect was the wrong man, but her murderer was indeed a neighbor Numerous individuals joined the search for Maddie, combing through nearby woods and dumpsters.

Despite the efforts of the search parties and law enforcement officials, a week passed without any progress. Astonishingly, Maddie's body was not discovered by any of the searchers or the police. But what no one knew was that she was actually right across the street, lying dead underneath the bed of her neighbor, 14-year-old Josh Phillips.

For nearly a week, Phillips slept with her body concealed beneath his bed, covering the smell with air fresheners and incense. And while the police searched his house for Maddie right after her parents reported her missing, Phillips' mother told them that the odd smell coming from his room was just because of the many birds he kept in there as pets.

14-year-old Joshua Phillips at the time of the murder

It wasn't until Phillips' mother went to clean his room while he was at school one day that she noticed an unusual wet spot on the floor. And when she went in for a closer look, she found the mutilated body of little Maddie Clifton. She ran out of the house and immediately went to the police.

When authorities made the discovery, Josh Phillips was attending classes at school. Law enforcement officials took him into custody on school grounds. The news sent shockwaves throughout the community. Despite having no prior history of violence, the 14-year-old boy was found to be responsible for the murder, a fact that no one could have imagined.

Josh told the police that he had killed Maddie, but he claimed that it started as an accident. According to Josh's account, he and Maddie were playing together when he accidentally struck her in the head with a baseball. In a state of panic, he carried her into the house, took her to his bedroom, and placed her on the floor.

Maddie Clifton

Maddie then began to cry and make noise. Josh stated that he became frightened of his father's possible reaction upon discovering Maddie's presence in the house.

Steve Phillips

Despite the extensive investigation, trial, and appeals process, it appears that the narrative of Josh's fear of his father was largely overlooked and deserved a more thorough examination.

It is understandable that Josh's father, Steve Phillips, was angry about what had happened to his son and he was clearly horrified by the actions of his son toward Maddie Clifton. But some of his actions and words throughout the ordeal appear to point to an obstinate, abusive father whose behavior could point to a deeper explanation of Josh's actions.

These are simply theories based on reports that are available online about this case; ultimately, Josh was the one who committed the violent crime and no one is accusing Steve Phillips of supporting or encouraging Josh's violent actions. At 15 years old, Josh Phillips faced a first-degree murder charge in the death of eight-year-old Madelyn Clifton.

Trial

As the crime was extremely serious, he was charged and prosecuted as an adult. Due to the overwhelming media attention in the Jacksonville area, Josh's trial was relocated to a different county. He was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole on August 20th, 1999.

As he was under 16 years of age when the crime was committed, he was ineligible for the death penalty in Florida.

Joshua Phillips in prison in 2008 at the age of 24,

Updates since the trial:

In a 2017 resentencing hearing, Josh's life sentence was upheld by a judge, and his subsequent appeal in 2020 was also denied. However, an appellate court decision specified that Josh's life sentence would be reevaluated after 25 years based on his demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation.

This reevaluation could result in a modification of his sentence. According to his original 1999 sentencing, this 25-year review could occur in 2024. Currently, in his late thirties, Joshua Phillips is being held at Tomoka Correctional Institution located in Daytona Beach, Florida.