Summary: Already serving 31 years in prison, former NFL player drafted by the St. Louis Rams, Lawrence Phillips, has been charged with the suffocation of his cellmate.
Former pro-footballer Lawrence Phillips has been charged with the murder of his cellmate Damion Soward. Phillips was serving seven years for felony assault to be followed by 25 years for domestic assault. He will not face the death penalty but could face life in prison.
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Soward, cousin of former NFL player R. Jay Soward, was strangled in his cell that he shared with Phillips. Soward was serving 82 years in prison at Kern Valley State Prison for killing a rival gang member.
Phillips was drafted sixth in 1996 by the St. Louis Rams even though he was considered one of the best players. Many teams passed him over because of his problems with the law off the field. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers and the Canadian and European divisions.
Phillips legal problems first began in college when he was playing for the University of Nebraska. He was suspended from the team for dragging his girlfriend, a basketball player for the university, down a flight of stairs. He has since racked up a series of other charges including domestic abuse, sexual assault, assault with a weapon, auto theft, making a criminal threat, false imprisonment, and assault with great bodily injury.
Phillips fell victim to a common trend where professional athletes feel they are above the rules, except that Phillips had an unruly temper to go along with it.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/02/lawrence-phillips-charged-with-first-degree-murder/
Photo: cbssports.com
