Joshua Earl Patrick Phillips was born on March 17, 1984, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Steve and Melissa Phillips. Joshua’s early life was affected by his father’s struggles with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Steve was described as violent, and both Joshua and his mother lived in constant fear of him. Steve enforced strict rules in the household and had a particular dislike for young girls. This was something Melissa found difficult to understand.

When Joshua was about 10 years old, his father decided to move the family from Pennsylvania to Florida. This move meant Joshua would be separated from his half-brothers, Daniel and Benjie. The family settled in Jacksonville, Florida. By November 1998, Joshua was 14 years old and living in Jacksonville. Neighbors at this time described him as "quiet and friendly." He had no history of violence or arrests before the tragic events of that year.

In school, Joshua was seen as a popular student who got along well with others. His teacher mentioned that he was fun and silly, but he did not stand out in a negative way. At this age, he had a friendship with a young girl named Maddie Clifton. Their families often interacted, and Maddie's parents did not have any concerns about Joshua’s character. He was described by Maddie's sister, Jessie, as a "pretty decent kid."

On November 3, 1998, Joshua Earl Patrick Phillips was home alone when Maddie Clifton, his eight-year-old neighbor, came over to invite him to play baseball. Phillips agreed to play, even though he wasn’t allowed to have friends over while his parents were away. During the game, Phillips accidentally hit the baseball into Clifton's eye, causing her to bleed and cry. In a panic about his father's return home, Phillips dragged Clifton into his house. He claimed that as he was doing this, her clothing came off.

Fearing that she would alert others with her cries, Phillips struck her with the baseball bat to silence her. He then hid her under his bed. When his father returned, Phillips interacted with him for a while before going back to his room. Later, Phillips discovered that Clifton was still alive and making sounds. In response, he removed the mattress and stabbed her multiple times with a knife to ensure she was dead.

Clifton was reported missing around 5:00 PM that day, prompting a search involving police and volunteers that lasted for six days. Phillips took part in the search, but he later described feeling as though he was living in a fantasy to cope with what had happened. On November 10, his mother discovered Clifton's body in Phillips' room and reported it to the police.

Phillips was arrested at school later that day and confessed to the murder shortly afterward. His story faced scrutiny from prosecutors, who highlighted inconsistencies regarding the evidence, including the lack of blood in the backyard and the baseball that he claimed he hit her with.

In July 1999, Phillips was tried as an adult, with the trial being moved to a different county due to the publicity surrounding the case. His defense attorney did not call any witnesses and based the defense on the idea that the murder was an impulsive act that spiraled out of control. The trial was brief, lasting only two days, and the jurors took just over two hours to convict Phillips of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

While in prison, Phillips completed his General Educational Development and took college courses. He became a paralegal, helping other inmates with their cases, and engaged in various activities like playing in a band and attending religious services. Although he has been a model prisoner, he declined to write a letter of apology to Clifton's family, expressing that they deserved an apology in person.

Since his conviction, there have been discussions about the appropriateness of his life sentence given his young age at the time of the crime. In 2017, he was re-sentenced to life in prison, but he remains eligible for further review, which will take place in 2023.