Bio

Harry Franklin Phillips was born on April 21, 1945. He grew up in a typical American family. As a young adult, Phillips became involved with the law. He found himself in trouble with the legal system, which had a significant impact on his life. He was eventually placed on parole. This meant he had to follow strict rules and check in with his parole officer regularly.

In the years leading up to his arrest, Phillips had confrontations with his parole supervisor. The issues between them escalated due to Phillips violating the terms of his parole. He was warned to stay away from parole officers and the parole building.

Murder Story

On August 31, 1982, Harry Franklin Phillips shot and killed Bjorn Svenson, who was a parole supervisor in Dade County, Florida. During the evening of that day, multiple gunshots were heard in the area of the Parole and Probation building in Miami. Police found Svenson's body in the parking lot. He had been shot multiple times, suffering wounds to the chest, head, and back.

Prior to the murder, Phillips had several conflicts with Svenson over unauthorized contact with his probation officer. Phillips had been warned to avoid contact with probation officers. After one incident, Phillips’ parole was revoked and he returned to prison. Just days before the murder, shots were fired into the home of the probation officers who had testified against Phillips.

After killing Svenson, Phillips was arrested for violating his parole. In jail, other inmates said Phillips admitted to killing a parole officer.

Phillips was indicted for first-degree murder on January 4, 1983. A jury found him guilty on December 16, 1983, and recommended the death penalty. He was sentenced to death on February 1, 1984. The Florida Supreme Court later upheld his conviction.

Over the years, Phillips filed several appeals and motions regarding his case. He claimed that testimony from witnesses was unreliable and that he did not receive fair representation during his trial. His death sentence was affirmed but was also subject to reexamination on multiple occasions.

In 1994, he was resentenced to death after a retrial. Phillips continued to pursue appeals and claims about his mental health, but his attempts to overturn his conviction were largely unsuccessful. He remained on death row as his legal battles continued.