On July 22, 1957, Officer Richard A. Phillips, aged 28, tragically lost his life in El Segundo, California. Officer Phillips, along with his partner Officer Milton Curtis, was conducting a routine traffic stop for a vehicle that had run a red light. Unbeknownst to them, the driver, Gerald F. Mason, had just committed a series of heinous crimes, including the kidnapping and rape of a teenage girl.
As the officers were writing the ticket, Mason opened fire, fatally shooting both officers with a .22 caliber revolver. Officer Phillips was shot three times, and in his final moments, he managed to fire back, leaving a bullet wound on Mason that would later become a crucial piece of evidence.
The case remained unsolved for decades, with Mason living a seemingly normal life in Columbia, South Carolina. It wasn't until January 2003, 45 years after the murders, that advancements in forensic technology led to a breakthrough. The FBI's fingerprint database matched prints from the stolen car to Mason, who had a prior conviction for burglary in South Carolina. Mason was arrested and subsequently confessed to the murders. In court, he expressed remorse, stating that he did not understand why he committed the crimes and apologized to the families of the victims.
Mason was convicted of the murders of Officers Phillips and Curtis and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. The charges of rape, robbery, and kidnapping were dropped as part of a plea deal. Mason's arrest and conviction brought a sense of closure to the families and the El Segundo Police Department, who had been haunted by the case for nearly half a century. Mason died in prison in January 2017, having been denied parole in 2009.
