Florida Teen Killer's 'Chilling' Calm After Hiding Girl's Body in Waterbed
A teenage murderer who bludgeoned an eight-year-old girl with a baseball bat, slashed her throat, and concealed her lifeless body inside his waterbed frame for over a week displayed a "chilling" lack of emotion when police searched his home. Joshua Phillips was just 14 years old when he killed Maddie Clifton in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1998, a crime that devastated the local community and sparked a frantic search.
"Cool as a Cucumber" During Police Search
Patrol Sergeant Tom Hackney, who participated in the hunt for Maddie, recalled speaking to Phillips the day before the girl's body was discovered. He described the encounter as profoundly unsettling. "He was cool as a cucumber. He was absolutely not shocked," Hackney told News Jax 4. "Our engagement with him was actually in the bedroom where she was recovered, and he sat on the bed, petting his dog, and just was as unemotional, unaffected by law enforcement being in his house. It's chilling, thinking about it now."
A Family's Ongoing Anguish
Maddie's older sister, Jessie Clifton, remembered her sibling fondly, stating her nickname was 'Giggles'. "We fought a lot, just as sisters do, but we loved each other very much," she said. The family's grief has been compounded by the legal process. Twelve months after the horrific crime, Phillips was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. However, a 2012 Supreme Court ruling declaring mandatory life sentences for juveniles unconstitutional led to a re-sentencing in 2017, where he received another life term with the possibility of review after 25 years.
Sentence Review Sparks Family Opposition
In 2025, the news that Phillips' sentence was up for review left Maddie's Northeast Florida family devastated. The now 41-year-old's lawyer requested a postponement of his hearing in July. The family has been unequivocal in its opposition. Jessie Clifton declared her intention to testify at the sentence review and read a victim impact statement. "This time, I'm really going to sit down and I'm going to take my time and I'm going to write something that's, that's going to hopefully make him feel... I mean, I guess that's not the goal, really, to make him feel bad," she explained. "But I want him to see how bad I'm hurting and that I don't really care that he's hurting or wants to get out of jail. So, my hurt is forever. His should be also."
"Maddie's Sentence Was Final"
Sheila DeLongis, another family member, asserted that Phillips "knew what he was doing" when he murdered Maddie. "Maddie didn't get a second chance. She didn't get to grow up, graduate, fall in love, or have a family of her own. Maddie's sentence was final. Her killer's should be, too," she stated. Phillips confessed to police that Maddie's death began as an accident but escalated into murder due to fear of his abusive father. His lawyers will attempt to present this case during the sentencing review.
A Powerful Family Statement
Ahead of the review, the family issued a powerful collective statement. "As a family, we continue to live with the devastating loss of Maddie every single day," it read. "It's been more than 25 years since her life was violently stolen, yet time has not healed this pain, it has only deepened our understanding of what was taken from us." They emphasised that Maddie was "full of life, joy, and potential", none of which was spared. The statement made their position clear: "Let us be clear, we do not support Joshua Phillips being released. He may have been a juvenile when he committed this heinous act, but he made a conscious decision to beat, stab, and hide the body of an innocent child. He knew what he was doing, and he took deliberate steps to cover it up."
The family concluded by quoting Benjamin Franklin: "Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are." They described the ongoing legal battles as "emotionally exhausting", reopening wounds never asked for, and pleaded for the public, media, and court to remember Maddie as the true victim. "Maddie's life mattered, and still does," they affirmed.
