A woman in New Orleans who was accused of aiding a man responsible for killing his three children in a fire last year was physically attacked in court on Monday immediately after entering a guilty plea. Reports from New Orleans news outlets state that Shanyka Phillips, aged 32, admitted to being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. The crime involved Joseph Washington, aged 30, who deliberately set fire to his ex-wife’s house in October. Tragically, the blaze resulted in the deaths of a 3-year-old boy, a 5-year-old girl, and an 8-year-old boy. Fortunately, the ex-wife was not at home during the incident.
Phillips is set to receive her sentencing on Thursday. The courtroom proceedings on Monday were disrupted when an individual physically assaulted Phillips, marking the second instance of violence during the case’s hearings. Joseph Washington had previously pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in April and is presently serving a life sentence.
The identity of the person who attacked Phillips in court remains unclear. However, online court documents reveal that an individual was sentenced to 24 hours of jail time for being in contempt of court during the Monday hearing.
