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Billy Phillips, 38, of Rockville, was sentenced to life in prison, plus 65 years after admitting to killing his boss, Bethesda resident Geoffrey Biddle, 66, nearly two years ago, according to officials on Monday, May 1.
"For a period of time, Biddle trusted Phillips to work for his company, and he abused that trust by using what he learned during his employment to plan his vicious, premeditated attack," according to McCarthy.
Witnesses said that when Phillips was fired from his job in April 2021 for fraud he was in financial despair, leading to the scheme that landed him in prison.
On June 23, 2021, prosecutors say that Phillips terrorized Biddle inside his own basement and ultimately shot him four times, with the final shot being close range to the head.
According to court documents, on June 24, 2021, investigators received a report of a missing person at Payment Solutions Incorporated in Gaithersburg when Biddle, the CEO, purportedly sent a questionable email and failed to show up for work, which “was extremely unlike him.”
Due to their concerns, officials said that co-workers reached out to Biddle’s close friend and former business partner, who went to Biddle’s Bethesda home to check on his well being.
Upon arrival at the home, investigators say that Stephen Willard found Biddle’s car in the driveway with a flat front tire, and the front door was unlocked, which he said was suspicious. He found his cellphone in the kitchen next to his wallet, which was also missing credit cards and cash.
As part of his murderous gambit, Phillips had disabled Biddle’s car to prevent him from trying to escape.
Willard was unable to locate Biddle; however, responding officers in Montgomery County located his body in the basement of the home with “a large amount of blood on his body and throughout the basement, (and he) was obviously deceased."
Multiple .22-caliber shell casings were found at the scene, and Biddle’s death was ruled a homicide by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
A search of Biddle’s cellphone found a one-minute call to SunTrust Bank the day before his body was found, and an outgoing email to employees stating that he was having a family emergency and would be out of touch.
It was later determined that Phillips also impersonated Biddle through emails to excuse Biddle’s absence from work.
Hours after the murder, Phillips was cashing forged checks from Biddle’s bank account, and when he was arrested, the victim’s bank card and checkbook were in his vehicle.
Phillips pleaded guilty in February to:
- First-degree murder;
- Home invasion;
- Armed robbery;
- Use of the firearm in commission of a felony.
“This case is among the most evil that we have seen,” McCarthy said. “The murder of Geoffrey Biddle was calculated and brutal.
“(Phillips) had a history of escalating criminal behavior, and we thank Judge (Karla) Smith for this sentence which will ensure he no longer poses a threat to the community.”
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