Man found guilty of killing MU student sentenced to probation
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man who was found guilty of killing his girlfriend in November 2022 was sentenced to five years of probation on Tuesday.
Joshua Wilbers, of Jefferson City, was found guilty on July 17 of first-degree involuntary manslaughter for shooting and killing Hallie Phillips, 20. Wilbers was initially charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.
If Wilbers violates his probation, he faces a four-year prison sentence.
Deputies were sent on Nov. 27, 2022, to the 9000 block of Century Farms Road for a report of an accidental shooting, where they found Phillips injured, according to court documents in previous reporting. Phillips was lying on the ground unconscious outside the trailer the couple shared, according to a probable cause statement.
Wilbers allegedly told investigators that he was going outside to shoot his new .22-caliber rifle when it went off inside the house and hit Phillips in the face, according to court documents in previous reporting.
Wilbers carried her outside, meaning to load her in a car and drive to the hospital but decided to call 911 instead, the probable cause statement says.
Evidence at the scene and home security video corroborated his story, according to the statement. Phillips died of her injuries Nov. 29, 2022, at University Hospital.
Phillips was a studying animal science at the University of Missouri.
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