In the late hours of a warm Virginia summer evening, the bustling Green Run Shopping Center in Virginia Beach became the tragic backdrop for the end of a dedicated officer's watch. On Thursday, August 7, 2008, Detective Michael Smith Phillips, a 37-year-old male, was working undercover in a narcotics 'buy-bust' operation in the shopping center's parking lot on Holland Road.
He was a seasoned officer with six years in the Virginia Beach Police Department and a United States Air Force veteran who had served in Desert Storm.
That night, Detective Phillips arranged to meet two individuals to purchase marijuana. While he was speaking with one of the men inside his pickup truck, the second suspect approached and without warning, opened fire, striking the detective multiple times. The investigative team, positioned nearby, moved in swiftly and were able to apprehend both suspects at the scene. Despite their rapid response, Detective Phillips succumbed to his gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead in the parking lot.
The two men taken into custody were identified as Ted Vincent Carter, 23, and Marshall Demetrius Moyd, 26, both from Virginia Beach. They were subsequently charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and violation of the Drug Control Act. The investigation revealed that the supposed drug deal was a pretense for a robbery that tragically turned fatal.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, both men were held accountable for their roles in the murder of Detective Phillips. In December 2010, one of the suspects pleaded guilty to murder and received a life sentence. The second suspect, Ted Vincent Carter, was convicted of murder in October 2011 and was subsequently sentenced to 68 years in prison, bringing a close to the case but leaving an indelible mark on the Virginia Beach community and its police force.
