Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.
A 23-year-old Bellevue man is being held without bail after he was charged Monday with first-degree murder in last week's shooting death at Seymour Smith Park.
Tyrese A. Phillips appeared before Douglas County Court Judge Jeffrey L. Marcuzzo in shackles and flanked by two jail officers. Phillips spoke in a clear, steady voice when questioned by Marcuzzo during a hearing that took less than five minutes.
Marcuzzo appointed a public defender to represent Phillips. If convicted of first-degree murder, Phillips could be sentenced to death. Phillips also is charged with use of a firearm to commit a felony, which is punishable by five to 50 years in prison.
A prosecutor said Phillips shot Joe Piper, 19, of Papillion, the afternoon of April 5 in the park near 72nd and Harrison Streets. Piper later died at a hospital.
According to the prosecution, at least four people identified Phillips as the man who fired several shots at Piper.
Tyler D. Weakly, 18, of Papillion, is charged with being an accessory to the shooting. His bail was set last week at $1 million. Both men are being held at the Douglas County Jail.
Phillips was found by U.S. marshals in Oklahoma on Thursday, less than 24 hours after an arrest warrant was filed in Douglas County. Lt. Darci Tierney, an Omaha police spokeswoman, said members of the Metro Fugitive Task Force obtained information about Phillips' possible whereabouts and alerted the U.S. Marshals Service in Oklahoma.
Phillips was also charged Monday with third-degree domestic assault and disturbing the peace in connection with an incident from August of 2010.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
