Man Charged In Fatal Woodbury Stabbing Of Wife: Complaint

WOODBURY, MN — The man who was arrested in connection with the killing of a woman in Woodbury has been charged with second-degree murder, according to the criminal complaint filed against him in Minnesota's 10th Judicial District Court.

See also: Woman Found Dead In Woodbury Home Filled With Kids; 1 Arrested

McKinley Phillips, 39, could face up to 40 years if convicted, the complaint said. His bail is set for $1 million, according to the complaint. Phillips is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday in Washington County, Woodbury Police Department said.

The victim was identified as Shavon Phillips, 42, Woodbury Police Department said.

At 3:44 p.m. Friday, officers were called to a home on Steepleview Road for a wellness check, police said. The person who called police said Phillips called her to say that he had killed his wife and that her body was in the basement of their home, according to police. The woman also told officers that there were six or seven children in the house, police said.

Officers from several agencies came to he home and called for occupants to come outside, police said. Six children came out and told officers that their mother and stepfather, identified as Phillips, were not home, police said.

The woman was found dead in the basement with multiple stab wounds, police said.

Phillips was found at 3 a.m. on Saturday on a bus traveling through Wisconsin, police said. He was arrested and is being held in Monroe County Jail in Monroe County, Wisconsin, police said.

Woodbury officers travelled to Wisconsin to interview Phillips, police said.

Police said Phillips told them in the interview that he and his wife got into an argument because he thought she was cheating on him and that he began to punch her and stab her.

Phillips also told officers in the interview that the killing occurred earlier Friday morning and that the kids were upstairs and didn't know what happened, police said.

Phillips would later get on a bus to Chicago from Minneapolis, police said.

Officers had been called to the home three times in the past two months for domestic-related incidents, in which Phillips appeared drunk and was hostile to officers, police said.

The children who are in the house at the time of the killing are in the care of Washington County Child Protection Services, police said.

"The Woodbury community has endured several tragic events over the last several weeks," John Altman of Woodbury Police Department said in a statement. "Woodbury Public Safety is grateful for the continued community support. The uplift and encouragement from residents and community leadership helps propel our efforts to bring justice and closure to these difficult cases."