News

Actions

Coroner: Phillips' death declared a suicide

Posted
and last updated

Kern County Coroner officials said on Friday that the Lawrence Phillips' cause of death was suicide.

RELATED: 

Phillips, a former NFL player was found dead at the Kern Valley State Prison on Wednesday.

23ABC News was in the courtroom Jan. 12, 2016 as Phillips was facing murder charges for the death of his cellmate Damion Soward. 23ABC News crews said that Phillips was acting odd and strange during the hearing.

Phillips had been in an Administrative Segregation Unit on single-cell status since April 11, 2013, after he was suspected of killing his cellmate, 37-year-old Damion Soward. Phillips was currently in the early stages of the trial in Kern County for the homicide.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Monday

12/08/2025

Foggy

-° / 40°

3%

Tuesday

12/09/2025

Mostly Clear

50° / 39°

8%

Wednesday

12/10/2025

Mostly Clear

53° / 41°

9%

Thursday

12/11/2025

Clear

58° / 42°

6%

Friday

12/12/2025

Mostly Clear

59° / 43°

5%

Saturday

12/13/2025

Partly Cloudy

60° / 44°

4%

Sunday

12/14/2025

Mostly Clear

59° / 44°

6%

Monday

12/15/2025

Partly Cloudy

57° / 45°

5%