Carole E. Phillips, a 33-year-old white female and professional roller derby skater, was tragically murdered on December 24, 1974, in Lake View Terrace, California. Her death was orchestrated by her roommate, 34-year-old Maida Sue Ellington, who hired Robert Leroy Biehler, a known criminal, to carry out the killing. Ellington feared that Phillips would expose her illicit activities, prompting her to pay Biehler for the assassination.
In October 1974, Biehler, disguised as a plumber,
entered the apartment shared by Phillips and Ellington and shot Phillips four times in the head. Remarkably, Phillips survived this initial attack. Determined to silence her, Ellington compensated Biehler further for a second attempt. On December 24, 1974, Biehler confronted Phillips outside a bar in North Hollywood, shooting her twice in the face and twice more to ensure her death.
Following the murder, authorities arrested Maida Sue Ellington on charges of conspiracy to commit murder. She was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment at the California Institution for Women. Robert Biehler was apprehended on December 12, 1975, and faced multiple charges, including the murder of Carole Phillips. In 1977, he was convicted on four counts of first-degree murder and received four consecutive life sentences. Biehler served his sentence at San Quentin State Prison until his death from cancer in 1993.
The tragic death of Carole Phillips highlights the dangers faced by individuals attempting to expose criminal activities and underscores the severe consequences for those involved in orchestrating such heinous crimes.
