Man Faces 2 Counts Of Murder In Death Of Pregnant Woman, Child

July 6, 2010

A Cantonment man will be charged with two counts of murder after the stabbing death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child Monday night in North Escambia.

Phillip Arnold, 65, of 349 South Chipper Road, Cantonment, was booked into the Escambia County Jail early Tuesday morning on an open count of murder  in connection with the incident. He was being held without bond.

According to Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators, Arnold will be charged with two counts of murder due to the unborn child not surviving.

The victim has been identified as Angela C. Brown, 44, of Pensacola. A motive for the murder has not been established at this time, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses said Brown and Arnold lived at the same address but rented different rooms in the complex, according to deputies.

“The suspect and victim’s only tie to each other is that of neighbors as far as investigators can establish,” according to Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were dispatched to the stabbing at a mobile home at 349 South Chipper Road about 8:35 p.m. When they arrived, witnesses told deputies that Arnold fled into a nearby wooded area.

The woman was reportedly stabbed very near her heart. As deputies were arriving in the area, EMS personnel advised they had seen a black male running down the railroad tracks on South Chipper Road.

The first deputy on scene discovered a pregnant female lying on the floor of the mobile home and started CPR.  Brown was transported by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola where the victim and her unborn child were pronounced dead.

Witnesses at the scene reported observing a black male known to the them as Arnold running from the scene moments before they discovered the victim, according to the Sheriff’s Office. K-9 officers attempting to track Arnold discovered a knife that was believed to be the murder weapon. As deputies were surrounding the area to search for Arnold, he called sheriff’s dispatchers about 9:10 p.m. Arnold said  he was at a home at 2473 Stacey Road and that he wanted to turn himself in. He was taken into custody without incident.

Brown was the mother of seven other children.

Pictured below: A stabbing was reported about 8:40 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of Chipper Road. The suspect, Phillip Arnold of Cantonment, turned himself in about 30 minutes later on Stacey Road.

Comments

27 Responses to “Man Faces 2 Counts Of Murder In Death Of Pregnant Woman, Child”

  1. Knows the Truth on October 5th, 2010 1:30 pm

    I have read every comment that has come before mine, and until you know the truth you should say NOTHING! I can care less the motive Phillip had to kill Angela, and pleas for people to not judge him based on his past is ridiculous. This man has a very long history of violence relating back to murder. For the comments about abortion get a life Angela never believed in abortion, she has eight children and was pregnant with her ninth, she wouldn’t even get her tubes tied. She would always say the bible said “be fruitful and multiply.” She truly did not deserve this. I have seen her children cry for her. It is heartbreaking. When someone says her name they stop in their tracks in the hopes of seeing their mother. People can say what they want about Angela but one thing Is True She LOVED her children and they LOVED their mother. They speak so highly of their mom, no matter what she looked like or acted like they were proud of their mother. How many people can truly say their children were proud to have them as a parent? Angela could have came to their school in a clown suit, and they would stand proud by her side. Phillip derserved to be locked away a long time ago back in 1965 when he went to trial for murder, or 1968 when he was back in court for the same thing, or in 1991 when he went to court for 4 offenses and only recieved second degree misdemenor so grand theft of fire arm + possession of firearm by convicted felon + tresspassing + assault with deadly weapon = second degree misdemenor? Sounds like he was going to kill someone to me.

  2. concerned citizen on July 8th, 2010 9:51 pm

    I agree with Terri S. and yes God will take care of those that commit such cruel crimes. Prayers go out to this women’s family.

  3. DJohnson on July 8th, 2010 1:43 pm

    God is a true judge for this case. Let’s not judge a person’s past. I think and feel that the vitim 44 yr. and unborn baby cannot talk or speak for themselves.Let’s just wait to see what really happen.Because I feel that this is a case where the 2 was not just neighbors. Peace be with the family(s). Arnold65 only you and GOD knows what you to say. You Can,t Erase what you’ve done.But, He can live with a clear heart knowing and telling the TRUTH. (telling truth now will help the WHYS?).

  4. anonymous on July 8th, 2010 12:33 pm

    PEOPLE ARE SO QUICK TO JUDGE (INCLUDING THE MEDIA)…SOOOO MUCH HEARSAY. AND DOES ANYONE KNOW THE WHOLE STORY BESIDES THE VICTIM OR THE DECEASED??? MY POINT EXACTLY! NO, IT WASN’T RIGHT FOR HIM TO TAKE HER LIFE OR HER UNBORN CHILD’S, BUT GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF THAT. IT’S NOT ABOUT SOMEONE BEHIND BARS TAKING HIS LIFE FROM HIM OR NONE OF THAT………….IT’S SAD AND MY HEART GOES OUT TO HER FAMILY, AS WELL AS MY OWN……………………..

  5. concerned on July 7th, 2010 4:22 pm

    was their a motive

  6. Anonymous on July 7th, 2010 2:22 pm

    In regards to the question from T on July 6 yes she had children and a husband whom lived with her she was a loving woman and had a great personallity and she and the innocent baby inside will be greatly missed!!!

    ” REST IN PEACE ANGELA”

  7. David Huie Green on July 7th, 2010 12:50 pm

    “The suspect and victim’s only tie to each other is that of neighbors as far as investigators can establish,”

    This is where they say good fences make good neighbors, or they might if folks stayed on their own side of the fence.

    Record going back to 1991 including tresspassing, battery, theft, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon

    http://www.escambiaclerk.com/xml/xml_search.asp?ulname=arnold&ufname=phillip&ucasetype2=&ucase=&ucit=&ufromdate=&daterange=0&ucasetype=&uagencynbr=&uagencytype=

    It’s a shame he didn’t stop, assuming he is the one who did the deed.

    (assuming he did this deed)

  8. Anonymous on July 7th, 2010 12:28 pm

    Solution: Holman Prison! Yella Momma!

  9. William on July 7th, 2010 11:55 am

    Future comments on this story must adhere to the rules below or they will not be published, particularly the rule about staying on the subject of the story.

  10. whitepunknotondope on July 7th, 2010 6:37 am

    “Perhaps you can get yourself appointed to the Supreme Court and can convince four other Justices to widen the ruling so that anyone can end a pregnancy on a whim. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful improvement?”

    What would be a wonderful improvement is if your computer suddenly crashed and I didn’t have to read your slick Baptist rhetoric any longer. Now THAT I could say “AMEN” to!!!

  11. David Huie Green on July 7th, 2010 1:26 am

    REGARDING:
    “as long as the “baby” Is INSIDE AND ATTACHED to the mother’s body via umbilical cord, that it’s PART OF THE MOTHER’S BODY. When the baby is BORN OUT OF THE MOTHER’S BODY, and the ties are severed, then it is a separate human being.”

    Yet the Supreme Court gives only the pregnant woman the right to destroy her fetus. Any doctor involved is simply her instrument to carry out her intent. I know it isn’t fair. Perhaps you can get yourself appointed to the Supreme Court and can convince four other Justices to widen the ruling so that anyone can end a pregnancy on a whim. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful improvement?

    Take any thought to the extreme and see if it still makes any kind of sense.

    We could further extend your argument to include conjoined or Siamese twins. Then you could kill one half or the other without it legally being murder, even if they were only joined at a hand. Another wonderful improvement!

    If this sounds silly, consider the fact that two separate biological entities are linked by position and a membrane such that food and waste pass back and forth via placenta. In that regard they are only different from Siamese twins by age, position and the fact that both are breathing. (Supreme Court ruling still calls any abortion murder if the aborted fetus ever breathes the first breath of air. It happens.)

    food for thought

  12. Donna on July 6th, 2010 11:09 pm

    This is a terrible tragedy for everyone involved. Especially the family of the victims. I just want to say that before people judge this man and the circumstances involved in this case, please wait for the police investigation to be done. So many times, people tend to jump up and judge people before knowing what happened. We weren’t there and the only people who were, unfortunately, are either dead or in jail. This could have been a case of self defense or insanity. Let’s wait and see.

  13. concerned citizen on July 6th, 2010 4:03 pm

    yes she was someones mother, wife, and daughter she will be sadly missed…..the family is taking it hard at this moment so just pray for them for the days to come will be the hardest when they have to lay her to rest…..

  14. Considering on July 6th, 2010 3:42 pm

    Even though my child was inside my body, I always considered her a separate human being. Just a mother’s thought.

  15. T on July 6th, 2010 2:24 pm

    Does anyone know if she has younger children, family/husband in this area or living in the home where this happened?

  16. whitepunknotondope on July 6th, 2010 12:34 pm

    “Strange isn’t it…He can be charged with murder for killing her unborn child…she could have had an abortion and it would have been legal…sad.”

    I would say that as long as the “baby” Is INSIDE AND ATTACHED to the mother’s body via umbilical cord, that it’s PART OF THE MOTHER’S BODY. When the baby is BORN OUT OF THE MOTHER’S BODY, and the ties are severed, then it is a separate human being.

  17. 2 Cents on July 6th, 2010 11:34 am

    Ok so maybe I read that wrong….

  18. Terri Sanders on July 6th, 2010 11:23 am

    Strange isn’t it…He can be charged with murder for killing her unborn child…she could have had an abortion and it would have been legal…sad,,,

  19. JUS ME on July 6th, 2010 10:47 am

    SO SAD

  20. BREWTONGIRL on July 6th, 2010 10:46 am

    THATS BAD.. REALLY BAD ….. I HOPE GOD TAKES CARE OF HIM …

  21. YELLARHAMMER on July 6th, 2010 10:15 am

    Terrible.

  22. William on July 6th, 2010 10:04 am

    > PNJ said she was pronounced daead at the scene. Child also..:(

    Their current story does not. It says what our story says — she and baby were pronounced dead at the hospital.

  23. 2 Cents on July 6th, 2010 9:54 am

    PNJ said she was pronounced daead at the scene. Child also..:(

  24. whitepunknotondope on July 6th, 2010 9:07 am

    So the baby is dead…

  25. William on July 6th, 2010 8:03 am

    (The comments below were made prior to an update to the story above.)

    “Her condition has not been officially released by authorities.”
    So where’s the murder/homicide charge coming from?

    It does sound strange. But — the woman’s name and condition, as the story says, have not been released yet. So we are not going to report her condition. That information will come later today from the Sheriff’s Office. Jail records show him charged with homicide.

    It’s one of the strange moments that comes from the covering news at it happens. If think hard about it, you can come up with a circumstance where he was charged with murder but the female did not pass away. We are not going to speculate, just report the facts as of the moment.

  26. whitepunknotondope on July 6th, 2010 7:58 am

    “Her condition has not been officially released by authorities.”

    So where’s the murder/homicide charge coming from?

  27. lil bit on July 6th, 2010 4:18 am

    What a loser……maybe he will meet his match behind bars!!