ADP

Josh Phillips

Josh Phillips murdered his eight-year-old neighbor, Maddie Clifton, when he was 14. He beat her with a baseball bat, cut her throat and stabbed her, then hid her body inside his waterbed frame and participated in the search for her. The killing occurred on November 3, 1998, in Jacksonville, Florida. A jury convicted him of first-degree murder in 1999. His life sentence now permits judicial review; he withdrew his most recently reported review application on May 6, 2026.

At a glance

What happened
Phillips killed one child, eight-year-old Maddie Clifton. The court record describes a baseball-bat attack, a knife attack and concealment beneath his waterbed. Evidence indicated she was still alive when first placed underneath the bed; the medical examiner testified that the later stab wounds were inflicted after death. Phillips joined the neighborhood search while concealing her body. His mother discovered it on November 10, 1998. Police then collected him from school, and he confessed. The conviction was for first-degree murder. A later sentencing finding of sexual motivation is distinct from a sexual-assault conviction.
When
November 3, 1998: Maddie Clifton was murdered. November 10, 1998: Her body was discovered in Phillips's bedroom; police questioned him and he confessed. 1999: A jury convicted Phillips of first-degree murder; he received life without parole. November 17, 2017: Resentenced to life, subject to judicial sentence review after 25 years served. December 17, 2019: The life-with-review sentence was affirmed on appeal. May 6, 2026: Phillips withdrew his latest reported sentence-review application. Sources checked October 13, 2026.
Where
Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, United States. Maddie lived next door to Phillips, and he concealed her body in his bedroom. The murder trial was moved to Polk County because of extensive pretrial publicity.
Why / motive
Phillips claimed that an accidental baseball injury led to the attack and that he killed Maddie to stop her crying because he feared his father's reaction. That was his explanation, not an established accidental origin. The resentencing court instead found an intentional, calculated and sexually motivated killing, and the appellate court upheld those findings. Sexual motivation should not be presented as proof of a separate sexual assault.
Outcome
Convicted of first-degree murder in 1999 and originally sentenced to life without parole. After juvenile-sentencing proceedings, Phillips received another life sentence in 2017, this time with judicial review after 25 years served. The sentence was affirmed in December 2019. Review eligibility is not guaranteed release. The latest development located as of October 13, 2026, was his May 6, 2026 withdrawal of his sentence-review application, reported by News4JAX on May 13. He cited the need for professional counseling to address rehabilitation concerns and stated that he intended to apply again. The report describes a withdrawal, not a denial or a sentence reduction; life imprisonment remains the latest verified sentence.

Who is involved

  • Joshua Phillips — subject

Sources

  1. WJCT: Judge Resentences Maddie Clifton's Killer To Life In Prison“Josh Phillips”
  2. WJCT: Crime, victim's age and 2017 resentencing“was 14-years-old”
  3. Phillips v. State (2002): Facts of the murder and discovery“Joshua confessed to killing Maddie.”
  4. Phillips v. State (2002): Crime and discovery dates“November 3, 1998”
  5. Phillips v. State (2002): Discovery of the victim“November 10, 1998”
  6. Phillips v. State (2019): Conviction and appellate decision“December 17, 2019”
  7. WJCT: November 17, 2017 resentencing“Published November 17, 2017”
  8. Phillips v. State (2019): Location and change of venue“trial was transferred to Polk County”
  9. Phillips v. State (2002): Phillips's account“afraid of getting in trouble”
  10. Phillips v. State (2019): Sentencing findings“calculated, sexually motivated”
  11. Phillips v. State (2019): Life sentence with judicial review affirmed“life in prison with judicial review”
  12. News4JAX: Joshua Phillips withdraws bid for sentence review“filed the notice of withdrawal May 6”
  13. News4JAX: May 6, 2026 withdrawal“May 6”
  14. News4JAX: Withdrawal reasons and intent to reapply“Phillips stated his intent to resubmit his application”

Sources last checked: Not recorded · Dossier last changed: · Editorially reviewed: Not yet reviewed.