By: Amy Coleman, Staff Writer
Organ donor sign-up and organ donations as a whole have generally carried a ‘the more the merrier’ tone. If all the checks of compatibility and health check out, and the donor agrees, all lights are a go. Because, when it comes to medicine and possibly saving someone’s life, who would want to discriminate? But what if the donor committed a crime so heinous, so repulsive that even the details make you cringe?
Meet Ronald Ray Phillips (CCI #A279-109) in 1993. He had no prior convictions or arrests. But, was found guilty and sentenced to death for the aggravated murder of three year old Sheila Marie Evans in connection with her beating and rape on January 18, 1993. He recently petitioned to be an organ donor after his death.
Read the details of his crimes (Full Crime Details in his Clemency Decision) and you be the judge.
**WARNING THE FOLLOWING DETAILS ARE VERY GRAPHIC AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL.***
The Crime
Ronald Ray Phillips was 19. His girlfriend, Fae Amanda Evans lived in an apartment above his grandparents’ apartment. Fae Evans had three children, the youngest was the son of Phillips. Phillips did not know it at the time, but he also had a daughter with Evans’ sister, Mary, who was just 15 at the time (Read what he did to Mary). Both children were born within a month of each other.
On January 18, 1993, Phillips was at Fae Evans’ home babysitting two of Fae Evans’ children, Sheila Marie included. When Evans returned home, Phillips went into a children’s bedroom and found Sheila pale, cold, and motionless on her bed. Phillips took the child to his grandmother’s apartment and the grandmother called for an ambulance. At Children’s Hospital of Akron, Sheila was not breathing and had no pulse. Further, Dr. Eugene Izsak noted multiple bruises on Sheila’s torso, a distended stomach, a stretched anus. After continued resuscitation, Sheila had a pulse. She then went into emergency surgery. Dr. Robert Klein, the surgeon, found her abdominal cavity was filled with a lot of free air and blood and that part of her intestine was perforated and gangrene. It was Dr. Klein’s professional opinion that the injuries to the intestine were inflicted at least 2 days prior to her admission into the hospital. Sheila died that day.
The subsequent autopsy performed by Dr. William Cox, the Summit County Coroner, found more than 125 bruises believed to have been inflicted within a few hours of death. Sheila had been beaten about her head, face, upper and lower torso, arms, legs and genitalia. The blows to the abdomen had resulted in hemorrhaging in the stomach, intestine and other internal organs. The autopsy confirmed that the damage to Sheila’s intestine occurred approximately 2 days prior to death. Dr. Cox believed that Sheila’s injuries would have been very apparent as during the last 48 hours of her life, she would have felt intense abdominal pain, an inability to eat, vomiting, a high temperature, and listlessness. Then, when compounded with the beating from the morning of her death, her intestine ruptured.
But, Dr. Cox found evidence that Sheila sustained repetitive anal penetrations over time, including the very morning of her death. Based on the degree and type of injuries, Dr. Cox concluded that Sheila had been anally penetrated by a penis, rather than a finger or foreign object.
Sheila Marie Evans died of cardiovascular collapse stemming from the severe, blunt force trauma to her abdomen, and the numerous related complications.
Phillips confessed to his crimes. On the morning of Sheila’s death, he “lost it” and repeatedly hit her because he called her three times and she did not respond. When he noticed she was in her bed, he pulled the covers off of her, hit her, threw her against the walls, and dragged her by her hair. When Phillips noticed that this 3 year old child was not wearing any underwear, he became sexually aroused. Phillips did not admit to penetrating the child, even though he admitted he had thought about it that morning. And although he admitted he did so on prior occasions, he stated he did so because her mother had paid him to do that.
The Summit County Grand Jury indicted Ronald Ray Phillips on the following charges:
Count 1: Aggravated Murder with Capital Offense Specification
Count 2: Felonious Sexual Penetration
Count 3: Endangering Children with Physical
Harm Specification
Count 4: Felonious Assault
Count 5: Rape
Count 6: Rape
Count 7: Rape
Phillips pleaded not guilty to all charges. During trial, charges 3 and 4 were dismissed. And, the jury found him guilty of counts 1, 2, 5, 6, 7. The jury recommended death for Count 1/Aggravated Murder. And the trial court agreed. (Read the Appeal Decision)
Ronald Ray Phillips was ordered to be executed on November 14, 2013. Sheila’s mother was also imprisoned for her role in the crimes. (Read Fae’s Appeal after Conviction & What Happened to Fae Amanda Evans?)
Now look at Ronald Ray Phillips in 2013. He requested to donate his organs. So, Ohio Governor John Kasich stayed his execution for 7 months investigate if that is even possible (Read the Warrant of Reprieve).
Is this a ploy to get more time? Perhaps. Phillips filed for a writ of habeas corpus because the lethal injection procedure to be used in Ohio has not been used on a human before; but that was denied. (Read that Opinion) Further, Phillips has petitioned the Governor of Ohio for clemency. (Read the Clemency Report) But, so what if it is? An organ is an organ, right?
The problems are many. How to kill him without poisoning his organs? How to be able to get his organs into the donee before 5 minutes is up and the organ is no longer viable? Is he really capable of giving consent that is not coerced? Does opening this flood gate encourage juries to recommend the death penalty? Is it morally correct to do this? (Read NBC News’ Investigation of the Challenges)
But, before you make any snap decision, consider this:
As of November 8, 2013, more than 130, 000 people are the UNOS transplant list with hardly any time to give. (Look at the UNOS Statistics for Yourself)
