Tommy WalravenSix months after Tommy Walraven was beaten to death on Christmas night, his girlfriend’s son faces prison time.
On May 12, a Murray County, Ga., grand jury indicted John Dwight Phillips on an involuntary manslaughter charge. If convicted, he faces 1-10 years behind bars.
In Georgia, involuntary manslaughter occurs when someone accidentally kills another person while committing a separate crime. In this case, Phillips told police he punched Walraven in the face several times after Walraven pressed a shotgun against his gut.
The beating left Walraven unconscious, bleeding out of his mouth and nose, his head so swollen family members couldn’t see his neck. Now, Phillips waits for trial, set to begin Oct. 6.
A Murray County Sheriff’s Office incident report gives this account: Walraven was celebrating with his girlfriend, Terry Lynn Welch, when Phillips arrived. Phillips had apparently gotten into an argument with his wife, and Walraven told him to go back home.