‘He picked the baby up and got rid of it’

Rasaun Burton

By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief. 

LUDINGTON — Sean Michael Phillips told a fellow prisoner that he got rid of his baby. Rushaun “Death Row” Burton was at the Carson City correctional facility the same time as Phillips. The two became friends and one day had a conversation in the prison library about women who were divorcing their sports celebrity husbands and trying to get money from them.

Sean Phillips

Burton testified this afternoon during the 79th District Court preliminary examination of Phillips, who is charged with the murder of his 4-month-old daughter, Katherine Shelbie Elizabeth Phillips. The 24-year-old Victory Township resident is currently serving a 10 to 15 year prison sentence for the unlawful imprisonment of the baby.

“He said he had a similar situation,” Burton said. “He said he had a girl who had a baby that wasn’t his and he wasn’t going to get a dime from him. He said it wasn’t his baby and he said he picked the baby up and got rid of it. When I asked him what he meant he got closed up from the conversation and said he couldn’t be charged because they wouldn’t find the baby.”

Burton is currently near the end of a prison sentence for a marijuana charge. He said the nickname “Death Row” is something he got when he was 16, because he was in trouble a lot. As a juvenile he was convicted for armed robbery.

Burton said he was not receiving any special deal from the prosecution for his testimony. After Burton was transferred to another facility he started thinking about what Phillips said.

“After I had time to sit back and think about the situation and I started to think about my two daughters. It started weighing on me to do the right thing. I grabbed a pen and piece of paper and wrote the attorney general office and told them everything Sean had told me. I’m gaining nothing from this. I just want to do the right thing.”

Burton was later contacted by Ludington Police Detective J.B. Wells. He said he has not had any contact with Phillips since Phillips was transferred to another prison.