| Sources |
- [S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 28 Dec 1998.
Billy Joe Walker obituary
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 2 Dec 2004.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 13 Dec 2004.
NEWPORT–On or about November 17, two men were brutally shot to death and their bodies were dumped into the Pigeon River. The late Butch Wayne Phillips, of Lower Rinehart Road, Dandridge, whose body was discovered on Saturday, Nov. 20, and Sherman Ray “Hank” Phillips, of Lower Rinehart Road in Dandridge, whose body was recovered on Sunday, Nov. 21, were the victims.
Days after the bodies were recovered, Shannon Ted Adams, of Phillips Road in Sevierville, who is in Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary because his parole was violated, is a suspect and charged in the double murder.
The Newport Plain Talk interviewed four family members of Butch Wayne including Trula Phillips, who is the mother of Butch and sister-in-law of Hank; B. J. Phillips, who is the brother of Butch and nephew to Hank; Dorothy Phillips, who is B.J.’s wife; and Barbara Jo Phillips Eledge, who is the sister of Butch, the niece of Hank, and Adams’ girlfriend.
The Plain Talk also interviewed two family members of Hank Phillips who are his mother, Grace Phillips, and his sister, Debbie Phillips Bryant.
This is their story of three men who knew each other and according to Butch Wayne’s family, Shannon Adams was considered a friend by Butch, but unfortunately, something apparently went tragically wrong on that Wednesday night when Butch and Hank were killed.
Barbara Jo said that when Adams was released from prison after serving nine years of a 27-year sentence, he returned home to Sevier County.
According to Sevier County Circuit Court records, Adams served the sentence for two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, robbery, and burglary.
“Shannon seemed like a changed man,” said Barbara Jo. “He did things that he never had done before for me like open the car door. He said he had met God in prison and it had changed his life.”
Barbara Jo said Butch, Hank, and Shannon met each other at an arcade off Jones Cove Road, when they were all teenagers and Butch and Shannon became friends.
Debbie Bryant said Hank was always concerned about Butch’s well-being and tried to protect him.
“Hank was not Shannon’s friend,” said Debbie Bryant. “Hank knew Shannon through Butch, but Hank and Shannon had never had any bad words toward each other as far as I know.”
“Butch introduced me to Shannon in 1991 and we became very close,” said Barbara Jo. “When Shannon wasn’t spending time with me, they would be out doing something. They were always together.”
Barbara Jo said after Adams returned, they got back together and everything seemed great.
The Plain Talk asked if Barbara Jo had ever been mistreated by Adams and she said that Adams allegedly had mistreated her in the past before he went to prison, but hadn’t done so since he returned home until after the disappearance of her brother and uncle.
Dorothy Phillips said the family knew something was wrong on Thursday because Hank hadn’t called his mother.
“Hank always called his mother every hour or two when he was away to check on her to make sure she was doing all right,” said Dorothy Phillips. “When Hank left his house Wednesday afternoon, Grace didn’t hear from him again that night and when she hadn’t heard from him on Thursday, we knew something was wrong and his sister, Debbie, reported them missing.”
Debbie said she knew that something bad had happened or Hank would have called to check on his mother.
“Hank loved his mother and was her constant companion,” said Debbie Bryant. “They liked to play card games like Crazy Eights and do other things together to pass the time.”
Debbie Bryant said that Shannon came to Hank’s mother’s on Wednesday and Shannon, Butch, and Hank all left together but Hank and Butch did not come back home.
“Shannon called my mother’s house early Thursday morning asking if Butch and Hank had got back home yet and mother told him they hadn’t,” said Debbie Bryant. “Shannon called several times during the day, as if he was concerned.”
Debbie Bryant and Grace Phillips said they did not know why Adams would have done anything to Hank and Butch.
“Shannon became angry toward me after my brother and uncle were reported as missing, but I didn’t put the two things together. He had been so nice to me since he returned,” said Barbara Jo. “The sheriff’s department asked us to come by the station after the funeral on November 24 and they arrested Shannon.”
Barbara Jo said that was when she realized that Shannon Adams might be a suspect in the death of her brother and uncle.
The Plain Talk asked Barbara Jo when was the last time she saw Shannon before the shootings and she said Wednesday afternoon.
When asked when did Adams return home, Barbara Jo said late that same night.
Barbara Jo said she didn’t think she should answer any more questions about the incident because she was going to have to testify in court about what happened.
She said that Adams was on medication when released from prison.
“It was a part of his release agreement and he had to go to Peninsula to have his medication checked. I think he took his medication like he was supposed to,” said Barbara Jo.
Debbie Bryant and Grace Phillips both said they hope person who killed their kin gets the death penalty.
B.J. Phillips said he just wanted to see justice.
Trula Phillips said she would like to see the guilty party hanged from the bridge. “They didn’t deserve to be killed like that. They were good men.”
Dorothy Phillips said she hopes the family can find out why it happened so they can have some closure.
“We don’t know what happened at this point,” said B.J. Phillips. “They were friends and Shannon seemed to be different. The last time I saw him, was the Friday before and everything seemed normal.”
Dorothy Phillips said, “When you lay down at night, it’s always with you. You just can’t stop thinking about it.”
Butch Phillips was born in Newport on December 8, 1970 in the Mims Clinic.
His parents are Trula Lowe Phillips, of Sevierville, and Frankie Jo Phillips, of Dandridge.
Butch’s brother is Barry Joseph “B.J.” Phillips, of Sevierville, and his sister is Barbara Jo Phillips Eledge, of Sevierville. His grandparents are Clifford and Laura Lowe and Grace and the late Frank Phillips. Butch’s former wife is Rhonda Phillips and his stepson is Brandon Wiggins.
Barbara Jo said Butch loved Brandon with all his heart and he helped raise Brandon, who is now 10 years old, from the age of nine months until just recently when the couple’s divorce became final on November 4.
Butch attended New Center School and Sevier County High School.
B. J. Phillips said Butch was in the construction business and was self-employed. Butch was also certified in heating and air and small engine repair.
Barbara Jo said Butch loved to hunt, fish, watch racing, and be with the family.
“He was an avid Dale Earnhardt fan and always wore a hat,” said Barbara Jo.
Hank Phillips was born on September 18, 1964 in Newport. Hank’s parents are Grace Phillips and the late Frank Phillips. His grandparents were the late Lem and Frieda Phillips, of Newport, and the late Mary and Joe Ray, of Dandridge.
Hank’s brothers are Frankie Joe Phillips, of Dandridge, Perry Phillips, of Dandridge, who is married to Virginia, Jerry Phillips, of Curlew, who is married to Karen, and Mike Phillips, of Newport, who is married to Brenda, as well as a half-brother, Boyd Ronald “Big Butch” Phillips, who Butch Wayne was named after.
Hank’s sister is Debbie Phillips Bryant, of Dandridge, and he also had two half-sisters, Mary Faye Phillips and Bonnie Suttles, both of Canton, NC.
Hank had been married twice, but had no biological children. His first wife was Millie Holt and his second wife was Kimberly Gregory Walker Phillips. Kimberly had three children, Tiffany, Carl, and Tommy Joe that Hank helped to raise while the couple was married.
Debbie Bryant said Hank worked with her brother, Perry, doing a variety of work, but he thought his calling in life was to care for his disabled mother.
“Hank loved to watch the races. He loved the outdoors and he loved working in the yard,” said Debbie Bryant. “Hank always said he was just a good old country boy. He had a heart of gold and was the kindest person you have ever seen when it came to children. He considered his nieces and nephews to be his own children and always tried to protect them.”
“My son, Wesley Wright, looked at Hank like a brother,” added Debbie Bryant. “He was also like a big brother to Butch. Butch lived with us off and on and Butch said he felt as much at home here as anywhere.”
Debbie Bryant said Hank loved animals and once picked up a stray and fed its puppies by hand so they wouldn’t starve.
“Hank was a good man and didn’t deserve to die like this,” said Debbie Bryant. “He had always said it would surprise him if he lived to see his 40th birthday and he did. He was so excited that day and just a month later, he was killed. He was so happy on his birthday that he had lived to be 40 that he went to church and was saved. He became a different person and it helps the family to know that he accepted God.”
Debbie Bryant said one of the hardest things out of this is going to be returning to where the family holds its reunions.
“We would always go to Big Creek in the Waterville community for reunions and to get together,” said Debbie Bryant. “I don’t know if we will ever be able to go back there again. It will always haunt us.”
Debbie Bryant said she would miss her brother, Hank, greatly because he would always come to her if he needed to talk.
“He was the baby in the family and always wanted to try to act like he wasn’t,” said Debbie Bryant. “He was warm, loving, and respected women. He wouldn’t let anyone mistreat any woman in his family or any of his friends. We will all miss his protectiveness.”
Barbara Jo said Butch loved to stay with Hank and Millie, when they were married because they always let him ride their horses and four-wheelers, which he enjoyed very much.
The family said they wanted to give a special thanks to all the law enforcement officers who worked on the case including Cocke County Sheriff’s Department detectives Chief Robert Caldwell, Derrick Woods, Bryan Murr, and John Carrell; Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents Mike Hannon and Derrick Newport; the two men who found Butch, Tim Sullivan and Andrew Seaton; the Newport Rescue Squad, and everyone else who assisted in any way.
“It hurt to see how some of the media portrayed Butch and Hank,” said Dorothy Phillips. “They did have criminal records, but they were small things. They had never been charged with assault or something else like Shannon had. They had a DUI charge, but they weren’t bad people. Their lives were cut short and they didn’t deserve to die. They loved family and both of them always did the best they could when it came to family. They were loved and they loved. We will miss them greatly.”
Brown Funeral Home Director Archie Buchanan, who was in charge of Hank’s funeral services, said that the state provides assistance to families who have loved ones killed by means of a violent crime.
“The state will pay for the burial,” said Buchanan. “You must contact the District Attorney General’s office and fill out the proper paper work, which is then submitted to the state.”
Buchanan said the process takes about three months, but a check will be mailed directly to the family so that they can pay for the funeral. Brown Funeral Home has handled several such arrangements including the triple murder victims at the Middle Creek Bar and Randy Grooms, who was shot to death at his residence.
Butch Wayne Phillips was laid to rest in Bethel Cemetery in Sevierville, while Sherman Ray “Hank” Phillips was laid to rest in Strange Cemetery in Chestnut Hill.
Adams is scheduled to appear before Cocke County Circuit Court Judge Ben Hooper II on Monday, Dec. 13, to enter a plea.
Family: Murder victims didn’t deserve to die- Double murder suspect friend of family
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 21 Nov 2004.
Sherman Ray (Hank) Phillips, 40, of Newport, went to be with the Lord Sunday, November 21, 2004.
Arrangements are incomplete at this time, but will be announced later by Brown Funeral Home.
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