NFL News: Former NFL Running Back Lawrence Phillips Suspected Of Killing Prison Cell Mate
The life of former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips continues to plummet further downhill as he is now suspected of killing his prison cellmate.
Phillips is in Kern Valley State Prison in Central California, and his cellmate was found lifeless early on Saturday morning. According to USA Today, prison spokesman Lt. Marshall Denning said that the cellmate was later pronounced dead.
The 39-year-old Phillips was a top college football player at the University of Nebraska back in the late 90s. He was expected to dominate the NFL scene and he played for the St. Louis Rams until being released in 1997 for team insubordination.
During his career, he also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins, but nothing much ever came from his career.
In 2005, Lawrence Phillips was convicted of choking his girlfriend twice in San Diego. Later that same year, he drove his car into three teenagers after a pick-up football game in Los Angeles.
Phillips is currently serving 31 years for the convictions of those crimes.
From bad to can’t get any worse: Lawrence Phillips investigated for murder of his prison cell mate by @JGalvinKGET http://t.co/XDAUWUk6Zl
— Jason Cole (@JasonPhilCole) April 14, 2015
According to Yahoo Sports, Phillips is accused of killing 37-year-old Damion Soward from San Bernardino County. Soward was serving a sentence of 82 years to life in prison for a conviction on a first-degree murder charge.
Oddly and tragically enough, this is the second suspected situation of an inmate killing another inmate at the prison. They are not entirely sure if the two murders are related in any way at all.
The other murder involves 24-year-old John Munoz, who is serving 42 years for sexual battery and a number of other charges in Los Angeles County. He is suspected of killing 41-year-old Rattanak Kim, his cellmate.
Kim was serving 35 years to life after being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in San Diego County.
Both deaths are currently being investigated by prison officials, the Kern County Coroner, and Kern County District Attorney.
After his NFL career ended, Phillips attempted to play in the Canadian Football League, NFL Europe, and the Arena Football League. He never lasted long in any of them.
Lawrence Phillips was drafted sixth overall by the St. Louis Rams in 1996, and this was less than a year after he allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend. Throughout the course of his career, Phillips averaged a mere 3.4 yards per carry with the three teams.
He once had a promising professional NFL career ahead of him. Now, depending on how the investigation goes for Lawrence Phillips in the accusation of murdering his cellmate, he may never be released from prison again.
[Image via Sports World]
