Bio

Philip Ray Workman was born in 1953 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He grew up with his parents on various Army bases due to his father’s military career. Philip had a challenging childhood and developed a troubled youth, marked by conflicts and disciplinary issues. He later joined the U.S. Army but was discharged in 1973.

After leaving the Army, Workman faced legal troubles. He was sentenced to five years in prison in Georgia for burglary and drug possession. He served 25 months before being released. Following his release, Workman struggled with addiction, particularly to cocaine.

By 1981, Workman was living with his wife and eight-year-old daughter in Columbus, Georgia. However, his drug addiction escalated, leading him to hitchhike to Memphis during the summer. It was a time of significant instability in his life, marked by his struggles with substance abuse and financial difficulties.

This background set the stage for the events that would lead to his arrest and subsequent conviction, which would later bring a great deal of public attention and legal controversy.

Murder Story

On August 5, 1981, Philip Workman entered a Wendy's restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, to commit robbery. During the robbery, an employee activated a silent alarm which alerted the police. Memphis Police Lieutenant Ronald Oliver was one of the officers who responded to the alarm. As Workman exited the restaurant, he encountered Oliver. Testimony from the trial indicated that Workman broke away from Oliver when ordered to stop.

As officers tried to apprehend him, Workman managed to break free. In the course of the struggle, he shot Lt. Oliver in the chest and also wounded another officer, Aubrey Stoddard, in the arm. Workman was later found hiding nearby in bushes, where police discovered the .45 caliber handgun used in the shooting.

During the trial, Workman admitted to firing the gun but contended that he did not intend to kill Oliver. He claimed that he had been using cocaine that day and became disoriented during the altercation. The robbery netted approximately $1,170.

Following his conviction for first-degree murder, Workman was sentenced to death. His case drew significant attention due to questions surrounding the evidence used during the trial, particularly about whether the fatal shot could have come from a police officer instead of Workman.

After spending nearly 25 years on death row, Philip Workman was executed by lethal injection on May 9, 2007. Before his execution, he requested that a vegetarian pizza be donated to a homeless person, but prison officials denied this request. Instead, he opted not to eat. Upon his execution, Workman stated, "I've prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ not to lay charge of my death to any man," followed by "I commend my spirit into your hands, Lord Jesus Christ." He was pronounced dead at 1:38 AM.