Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Dobson announced today that on Monday, April 4, Jerron Bryant pled guilty to murder for the Feb. 5, 2021, death of Eddie Phillips in Northwood.
Bryant also pled and was found guilty of a specification that he possessed a firearm during the commission of the offense. This specification adds a one-year mandatory prison sentence to Bryant’s prison term.
As there is no discretion for the court in the sentence for murder, Bryant was sentenced on Monday as well to life in prison. Bryant will be allowed to petition the parole board for release after he has served 16 years in prison – 15 years for the murder conviction and one year for the specification.
The charges stem from an incident at the Bridgepointe Inn and Suites off of Oregon Road in Northwood. Police were called to the sound of apparent gunfire on the third floor of the building. They located Phillips’ body in one of the rooms.
Video surveillance from the third floor hallway captured the shooting. Northwood Police disseminated a short portion of the video to the public in an attempt to identify those involved. Ultimately, leads from the public led police to Bryant. He had been held in the Wood County Justice Center from the date of his arrest until his plea. That time will be credited to his sentence.
Bryant was first indicted by the Wood County Grand Jury for Murder. A second indictment added two counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated robbery. Those counts were dismissed based on Bryant’s plea to the murder.
Dobson said that Assistant Prosecutor Alyssa Blackburn had been heading up the prosecution team and her work had gone far toward obtaining this plea. “We were very pleased to bring closure and justice for the family of Eddie Phillips,” he said. “He was a father and a son and is deeply missed by his family. We are grateful and indebted to the Northwood Police Department for their quick action on this case. Their dedicated investigation of this matter, including their decision to present the images to the public, were paramount in securing this result.”
