Motel 6 Robber Guilty of Murdering Manager

Kevin B. Phillips, a reputed member of a Los Angeles area gang known as the Crips, was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the 1985 robbery and killing of a Westminster motel manager.

Phillips, 26, sat quietly in the courtroom as the jurors were asked individually to confirm that they agreed with the verdict. The jury also found that the crime involved special circumstances, making Phillips eligible for the penalty phase of the trial, at which a jury will decide whether he should be put to death. Superior Court Judge John J. Ryan set a Jan. 4 date for that part of the trial.

Phillips’ victim, Robert Luther Thompson, 59, was shot four times when Phillips and another man robbed a Motel 6 at 6266 Westminster Ave. on Feb. 17, 1985. The other man was never caught.

Tim Severin, the deputy public defender who represented Phillips, expressed disappointment because, he said, the evidence showed that his client never intended to kill Thompson.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Rick Toohey disagreed and said Phillips showed his lack of remorse by committing another robbery of a Motel 6 in San Bernardino County with the same gun used in the Westminster murder.