JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 A Jacksonville man who committed one of the city\u2019s most notorious murders when he was 14 years old has voluntarily withdrawn his application for a sentence review hearing, stating he wants to better address rehabilitation concerns raised by a state expert before returning to court.<\/p>\n
Joshua Phillips, now in his early 40s, filed the notice of withdrawal May 6. <\/p>\n
He was convicted of killing his 8-year-old neighbor Maddie Clifton<\/a> in November 1998.<\/p>\n Why Phillips withdrew<\/p>\n In a handwritten statement addressed to the Honorable Judge Salem and included in the court filing, Phillips described his reasoning for stepping back from the process.<\/p>\n \u201cUpon filing my application for sentence review and returning to Duval County for these proceedings, my family and I were excited as well as nervous,\u201d Phillips wrote. \u201cI was quite confident, and still am, that upon release I would live a productive and meaningful life absolutely free of any fears of a return to incarceration.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Phillips said his confidence shifted after reviewing a report written by the state\u2019s expert witness, Dr. Gregory Prichard.<\/p>\n \u201cThis became more clear to me after interviews with various experts since returning to Jacksonville, most especially so after reading the report written by the state\u2019s expert witness, Dr. Gregory Prichard,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Read the motion below:<\/p>\n According to Phillips, Prichard\u2019s report identified several areas of concern related to his rehabilitation, including a lack of professional counseling regarding the crime and his childhood, early exposure to pornography, general identity issues, sexual identity, and drug addiction that developed after his incarceration.<\/p>\n Phillips acknowledged attempting to enroll in Department of Corrections programs to address some of those issues but said he was turned away.<\/p>\n \u201cI did attempt to do some of the Department of Corrections\u2019 programs for some of these issues but was refused due to my status as a \u2018lifer,\u2019\u201d he wrote. \u201cI was told in very clear terms that it was not allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he instead pursued self-directed study on those subjects.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, after reading Dr. Prichard\u2019s report it became clear to me that although self-educating on the topics mentioned above is laudable, it is not a substitute to true professional counseling and therapy,\u201d Phillips wrote.<\/p>\n Phillips stated his intent to resubmit his application after addressing the concerns outlined in Prichard\u2019s report. Per the filing, the sentencing court retains original jurisdiction for the duration of his sentence for the purpose of a future sentence review hearing.<\/p>\n \u201cArmed with the information now at my disposal I have no doubts that after this withdrawal of my application and subsequent return to prison that I will be able to address and assuage every concern mentioned by Dr. Prichard in his report,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Phillips also included an apology to the family of his victim.<\/p>\n \u201cAs always I wish to convey my deepest apologies to Maddie\u2019s Family for the reopening of wounds that any legal action in my case surely causes,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n RELATED | Nearly 30 years after Maddie Clifton\u2019s murder, her killer is preparing to ask for freedom. A look back at the case<\/a><\/p>\n