In the summer of 2020, the life of Tyra Phillips Womack, a 57-year-old Black woman, was tragically cut short in a violent encounter just outside her Baltimore home. A beloved and familiar voice to many in the city, Womack, who was professionally known as Tyra Phillips, was a longtime gospel radio announcer for WEAA-FM. Her warm presence extended beyond the airwaves; she was also a dedicated administrative assistant for the U.S. Post Office and an active member of her church community.
Her death on the evening of June 10, 2020, sent ripples of shock and grief through the Lauraville neighborhood and beyond.
The fatal incident was not a random act of violence but the culmination of a long-standing and bitter dispute with a neighbor. On that Wednesday evening, Womack was returning from a walk when she found her 25-year-old son on the front porch. It was then that her neighbor, Richard Sylvester Green, allegedly emerged and opened fire. According to Womack's sister, the bullets were intended for her son, but Womack shielded him, absorbing the multiple gunshots that would end her life. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately succumbed to her injuries, a final act of a mother's protective love.
The investigation into the senseless killing quickly focused on her 56-year-old neighbor. Witnesses identified Green as the shooter, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On June 16, 2020, Richard Sylvester Green was taken into custody and subsequently charged with first and second-degree murder, as well as related offenses. As the case moved to the courts, a new chapter of the tragedy began to unfold.
The legal proceedings against Green have been marked by complexities surrounding his mental state. He has been repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial. Despite a psychological evaluation in July 2024 that deemed him competent, a judge later that month ruled him once again incompetent, citing his unwillingness to cooperate with his defense attorneys. Green remains under the supervision of the Maryland Department of Health as the court continues to reassess his fitness for trial, leaving a grieving family and community still waiting for justice.
