The Tennessee man charged with killing Kentucky State Trooper Hayden Phillips during a traffic stop in Warren County was denied bond Tuesday, as new details emerged about his lengthy criminal record and the fact that he was already wanted for a probation violation at the time of the shooting.
Emonnie Branch, 51, faces a charge of murder of a first responder in the death of Phillips, who was shot and killed Monday during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Warren County, according to Kentucky State Police. Phillips was a three-year veteran of the agency assigned to Post 3 in Bowling Green, and was a husband and father of three young boys.
Tennessee Department of Correction records show Branch was serving five years of probation for a fraud-related conviction, with supervision set to run until July 2030. Sumner County District Attorney Thomas Dean said Branch was already wanted for violating that probation, tied to a securities fraud conviction, before Monday’s shooting.
Dean said Branch’s record also includes convictions for attempted domestic assault and violating a no-contact order, along with a 2009 conviction for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He had been arrested twice this year alone for probation violations.
