A Florida man who murdered an eight-year-old girl when he was 14 is facing a possible sentence review, causing fresh anguish for the victim's family. Joshua Phillips, now 41, killed Maddie Clifton in 1998, beating her with a bat, slitting her throat, and hiding her body in his waterbed frame.
During the week-long search for Maddie, police spoke to Phillips in his bedroom, where he sat on the waterbed petting his dog, showing no emotion. Patrol Sergeant Tom Hackney described the encounter as 'chilling', saying Phillips was 'as cool as a cucumber' and 'absolutely not shocked' by law enforcement presence.
Phillips was convicted and sentenced to life without parole in 1999, but after a 2012 Supreme Court ruling, he was resentenced in 2017 to life with a review after 25 years. In 2025, his lawyers requested a postponement of a hearing to review his sentence, prompting outrage from Maddie's family.
Maddie's sister, Jessie Clifton, said she plans to testify at the review, stating: 'My hurt is forever. His should be too.' The family's statement said: 'Maddie was eight years old... None of that was spared when she was brutally murdered. We do not support Joshua Phillips being released.'
Phillips claimed the killing began as an accident but escalated due to fear of his abusive father. His lawyers are expected to argue for a reduced sentence based on his youth at the time of the crime.
