March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Uffelman gets life for slayings

MACHIAS — Richard B. Uffelman, 45, of Machiasport was sentenced Monday in Washington County Superior Court in Machias to concurrent terms of 50 years and life for the Aug. 29, 1989, murders of Michael and Florence Phillips.

The verdict delivered by Justice Robert Browne of Bangor came moments after Uffelman concluded a long statement by telling Browne, “There is no justice here. Someday we’ll all stand before God, and on that day I will be vindicated. God have mercy on you. God bless America.”

He then stunned the court to silence by raising his right arm with clenched fist, proclaiming, “Vive la Belgique,” a salute to his wife’s native Belgium.

Kevin Wall, Uffelman’s attorney, stopped his client and conferred with him. Uffelman then concluded his statement, and sat down.

Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Hjelm recommended sentences of 50 years for the murder of Michael Phillips and life for the murder of Florence Phillips, based on the distinction that Michael was carrying a weapon as he and his wife took their after-supper walk past Uffelman’s home on Route 191.

Although Michael Phillips carried a .357-caliber Magnum revolver and a .25-caliber Titan pistol, Hjelm reminded Browne that the couple “did nothing to provoke” the shooting that was captured on videotape by a camera stationed in the Phillipses’ kitchen window.

“Videotape or no videotape, our comprehension of the lethal action of Richard Uffelman is beyond comprehension,” said Hjelm. Uffelman’s sons — then ages 10 and 12 — “followed suit by firing up to two dozen shots at a couple already wounded in the face and back.”

The prosecutor described how Uffelman, carrying a high-powered rifle, crossed the road, pursued the wounded couple into a field of alders opposite his house, and delivered the fatal shots at close range.

Hjelm added that Michael Phillips “did not do anything to warrant that.” The prosecutor argued that Uffelman killed the Phillipses to get the guns Michael Phillips was carrying. According to Hjelm, Uffleman wanted the guns in order to show that he had to protect himself and his family from his neighbors.

Hjelm said, “In fact, the gun (Phillips’) was never drawn. … This is not a self-defense case.”

The Phillipses’ son, “Mikey, had to endure the sight and sounds of his mother in agony” as he hid in his parents’ home with family friends Colby and Vanessa Kilton.

Uffelman, in his final statement to the court, repeated his claim of self-defense. He also described his actions in the field across from his home as “renewed self-defense.”

“When I ran out of the house in panic,” Uffelman continued, “I ran the wrong way. I meant no harm to anyone. We were under attack. I ran out to get the gun (the .357) to show proof positive that he pointed it at us.” He claimed he did not remember shooting the Phillipses with the high-powered rifle.

Uffelman, painting himself as a drug-fighting “patriot,” said he believed in a free America, but believed that he was denied the rights of a free person. “This was not a fair trial. The truth was concealed, and the prosecution misrepresented the information. I positively assert my innocence.”

Hjelm sought the lesser sentence for the death of Michael Phillips because, as he noted, Michael “was carrying a gun which was visible to the defendant.” Hjelm termed the shooting of Florence Phillips, who he said was “unarmed, overweight and suffering from a heart condition,” as “coldblooded” and deserving of the life sentence.

“Provocation, even if there was any, does not justify your actions,” Justice Browne told Uffelman. “There was no evidence … to justify your violent response. If there was provocation, it would have only been against Michael Phillips. You intentionally and knowingly took the lives of your victims, one at a time.”

“I’m not surprised at the sentence and I’m not surprised that the court accepted the state’s version at the trial,” Wall said after leaving the courthouse.

Asked if Uffelman felt remorse, Wall replied, “In his own way.” Wall said that Uffelman, who is expected to appeal the case, was “emotionally overcome” by the verdict.

Hjelm explained that if Uffelman had been given only a 50-year sentence, he might have been eligible for parole after serving 32 years. His sentence to life in prison ensures he will remain behind bars without release.


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