Former Fugitive Appears in Court

BUFFALO, N.Y. - A former fugitive suspected of fatally shooting a state trooper and wounding two others made his first court appearances Saturday, a day after surrendering in a field over the Pennsylvania state line following a five-month manhunt.

Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, who once threatened to "splatter pig meat all over Chautauqua County" in upstate New York and was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, was charged in Chemung County with eight counts, including attempted aggravated murder, first-degree attempted murder and second-degree attempted murder, all in connection with the shooting of a state trooper in June.

Phillips, 44, did not enter a plea.

Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, the exhausted and unshaven suspect either looked at the floor or closed his eyes during the 12-minute arraignment. He was shackled at the ankles, with his wrists handcuffed, and was flanked by armed guards. Earlier in the day, he was turned over to state police after appearing before a federal judge in Buffalo.

"He will get his day in court, and he will be held accountable," said District Attorney John Trice.

Phillips, a career thief who has spent 20 of the past 23 years in state prison, surrendered Friday night, five months after police said he used a can opener to cut his way through a jail ceiling. The arrest capped the state's largest manhunt after a frantic day that included troopers firing at Phillips as he hid in woods.

Officials said Phillips will be kept in a special section of the county jail and will stay in Chemung County for now. Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard said Phillips spent an uneventful night in an isolation cell and was under constant supervision. He said he had no plans to speak with him.

"I feel nothing but contempt and disgust for the man," Howard said.

Trice said that on the most serious count, attempted aggravated murder, Phillips faces a minimum of 20 years to life in prison and a maximum of 40 years to life. He is due back in court Oct. 23, and is eventually expected to face charges connected to an Aug. 31 ambush of two state troopers.

Since his escape, police said Phillips twisted and turned throughout southwestern New York and northwestern Pennsylvania, stealing cars, burglarizing homes and camps and relying on acquaintances to stay free. He may have stolen 41 guns from a New York gun shop, police said.

Phillips became the subject of a huge search after allegedly shooting Trooper Sean Brown near Elmira in June. Brown survived.

Then, authorities said, he ambushed and shot two New York state troopers on Aug. 31 as they staked out the home of Phillips' former girlfriend. One trooper, Joseph Longobardo, died on Sunday; the other, Donald Baker Jr., was in critical condition.

Phillips' arrest Friday night capped a day that began with an early morning car chase in Pennsylvania. Police said Phillips crashed a stolen car and fled into the woods. Within a half hour, he had stolen another car and was pursued by New York troopers. Hours later, a police canine team caught up with him in the woods. Phillips wheeled around with a pistol in his hand but did not fire, police said. One trooper fired an undisclosed number of shots as Phillips disappeared into the woods.

In the hours that followed, police closed in. Just before nightfall, 25 SWAT officers and 12 dogs swept through a field where he was thought to be hiding. He gave himself up around 8 p.m., police said.

Hundreds of law enforcement officials and friends gathered Saturday to mourn Longobardo at a wake. Phillips' capture, however, was of little solace.

"It's been hard on the family because they never got a chance to say goodbye," said Doug McCrindle, a family friend. "At least we know he's been captured, but that's not going to bring (Longobardo) back."