Man accused of killing Richmond officer found dead by hanging, Madison County coroner says.
A cause of death has been determined for Phillip Matthew Lee, the man accused of shooting Richmond Police K9 Officer Seara Burton on Aug. 10, 2022, before she died from her injuries over a month later.
Lee died at the Pendleton Correctional Facility in June earlier this year, where he was awaiting trial set for February 2025.
At the time of Lee’s death, Indiana State Police said in a news release that Lee was discovered alone and unresponsive in his cell at about 12:45 a.m. June 6, and efforts were made to resuscitate him but were unsuccessful.
After toxicology tests and an autopsy, Chris Burris, chief deputy coroner at the Madison County coroner’s office, told the Pal-Item on Monday that Lee’s official cause of death was “self-inflicted hanging by the neck” and that the manner of death was suicide.
About 6:30 p.m., Lee was observed riding a scooter as part of a Wayne County Drug Task Force Investigation and seen stopping at a detached garage, speaking to a resident and riding away, according to an affidavit at the time.
Because officers had believed a drug transaction took place, drug task force officers requested Richmond officers conduct a traffic stop on Lee.
Burton and her K-9 partner, Brev, were part of the responding units, and Brev indicated that he had smelled narcotics. Lee then pulled out a handgun and began firing at the heads of Burton and the other responding officer, Austin Adams.
Burton was struck in the head, and Lee ran and engaged officers in another gunfight before being shot and arrested outside his apartment building.
The affidavit said seven syringes, two baggies of methamphetamine, one baggie of cocaine and one baggie of heroin had been found.
Burton was pronounced deceased at Reid Health at 9:59 p.m. Sept. 18.
