In Waterloo, Iowa, on the evening of May 15, 2020, a gathering at a local home took a tragic turn, ending the life of 30-year-old Terrell Bernard Flowers, a Black / African American male. An argument had broken out between Flowers and another man, 28-year-old Stephen Devon Phillips. The disagreement escalated to the point where Phillips was asked to leave the residence. As he departed, witnesses reported that he made threats, vowing to come back and "shoot up the place."
True to his word, Phillips returned to the house a short time later. The argument with Flowers reignited, and in a fatal escalation, Phillips drew a handgun and fired a single shot, striking and killing Flowers. A surveillance camera in the vicinity captured footage of Phillips arriving at the home with a gun and leaving shortly after the shooting.
In the wake of the shooting, law enforcement began an investigation that quickly pointed to Phillips as the primary suspect. He was already incarcerated on unrelated charges shortly after the incident. In March 2021, authorities formally charged Stephen Devon Phillips with first-degree murder in the death of Terrell Bernard Flowers.
Phillips' case went to trial, where he claimed self-defense, alleging that Flowers had attacked him and had a gun. However, the prosecution presented evidence of Phillips' earlier threats, including a text message sent to Flowers minutes before the fatal encounter that read "u fina die." Witnesses also testified that while both men initially had guns drawn, Flowers had holstered his weapon before being shot. In February 2022, a jury convicted Stephen Devon Phillips of first-degree murder. The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. At the time of his murder conviction, Phillips was already serving a 25-year sentence for a first-degree robbery that occurred moments after he shot Flowers.
