The Murder of Joshan Ashbrook
For this case, I watched an episode of Forensic Files. It’s season 13 episode 33, titled ‘Deadly Rebellion.’
A 16-year-old girl is found dead after running away from home.
Background
Joshan (pronounced Yoshan) Ashbrook had a dream of becoming a singer. She and her sister wrote songs together. Joshan wanted to record a song she wrote, but she never got the chance to finish it. Her backup plan was to become an entertainment lawyer.
In the episode, they said Joshan had a history of fighting with her parents and running away. She would typically run away, spend the night somewhere, and return home the next day.
During the last argument she had with her parents, they confronted her about smoking marijuana. She left on July 31, 2002, and was later reported missing by her family.
Joshan Ashbrook
The Discovery
The next day, an electrician found a woman’s body on the side of the road outside Tampa, Florida. The body was identified as Joshan’s.
Joshan’s throat had been cut, and she had blunt force trauma to her face and head. She also had defensive wounds on her hands. Her pants were missing from the scene, but it was later determined that there was no evidence of a sexual assault.
The police found a single hair in a wound on Joshan’s thumb. It seemed like Joshan had grabbed the hair of her killer as she fought back. The root of the hair was still in tact.
About 30 feet from the body, the police found fresh tire tracks. The car had been backed into the area, and Joshan’s body had been placed in the woods. The tire tracks were made in the sand, so it was easy to make plaster casts of the tracks.
During the autopsy, the medical examiner was able to determine that the wound to Joshan’s throat hadn’t been the cause of death. The medical examiner said that the killer had put Joshan in some kind of a wrestling move, and put pressure on and broke her neck.
The Red Truck
The police interviewed Joshan’s family about any possible suspects. Her family mentioned that they had a family friend named John Hanson, who was 60 at the time and lived nearby. According to Tara, Joshan’s mom, he seemed to be getting too close to the kids.
The police showed up to interview John, but he was gone. John had been estranged from his wife, but had no history of violence.
The tire impressions from the casts were measured, and put into a database with about 20,000 different tires manufactured around the world. It was narrowed down to 7 different tires that could have made those tire impressions. They were also able to tell that it was from a larger car, like a truck or an SUV.
The police received a phone call from a woman that had seen Joshan on July 31. She had received a call from Joshan around 8:30am. Joshan was calling to see if the woman’s son was there. He was Joshan’s boyfriend. Joshan asked if she could drop off a letter, and few minutes later, a red truck pulled up. Joshan seemed to be in a hurry. The woman described the driver as a middle aged white male.
The woman provided the police with the cell phone number on the caller ID. A man answered the phone when the police called it. He said his name was Phillup Thompson, and he was asked if he knew Joshan. Phillup admitted that he and his daughter had picked up Joshan because she was hitchhiking. He also admitted to letting her use his phone and taking her to her boyfriend’s house to drop off the letter. He said they then dropped her off at the local Walmart.
Phillup had agreed to go into the police station, but he never showed up.
A Very Violent Man
The cell phone that Joshan had used wasn’t registered to a Phillup Thompson, but to a Phillup Partin, a convicted killer. He had been convicted of murdering a man named Gary Thorne in 1987. Phillup was a sex worker. He had picked up Gary Thorne at a club, and took him back to his place. He then beat him and strangled him with a phone cord. He then stole his money, bank cards and car. Phillup was convicted of second degree murder, but only served 6 years. He was released in 1995.
The police obtained the surveillance footage from Walmart. Phillup’s truck pulled into the lot around 8:48am. They purchased a few items inside, and left together in the truck.
The police searched nation wide for Phillup. They learned that he was living with his daughter, Patrisha in New Port Richey, Florida with a friend he had met in prison.
Phillup’s roommate said he hadn’t seen Phillup or his daughter since Joshan’s murder was broadcasted on the local news. The roommate said Joshan had never been at his house, but the police obtained a search warrant.
At first glance, the police didn’t find anything in the room Phillup was staying in. Until they lifted a throw rug between the two beds, and saw a huge discolored stain. It was about 4 feet long and smelled of bleach.
The carpet was lifted, and the investigators found traces of blood. Samples of it was collected for DNA testing. The crime scene investigators were also able to find a speck of castoff blood on the wall. It was a match to Joshan’s DNA.
The Manhunt
The roommate insisted he wasn’t involved, and stopped cooperating.
The police couldn’t find Phillup, but he was in constant contact with the police over his cell phone. He liked to talk, and questioned what the police had on him. It was clear he was taunting them, and the phone calls eventually stopped.
Two months after the murder, the police found an abandoned red pickup truck in a Walmart parking lot 50 miles from where Joshan’s body was found. Phillup’s truck had 4 bald tires on the car.
In the glove compartment, the police found 3 rolls of film. In one photo, Phillup’s truck had different tires on it. The investigators were able to determine that the tire impressions were from Wild Country tires. This type was one of the 7 types that could’ve been a match to the impressions found.
Phillup’s daughter was found at a friend’s house. Phillup had dropped her off after the murder.
Phillup’s daughter said Joshan had never left their bedroom. She said they spent the day swimming and fishing. They returned to the house, played video games and watched TV. She said she slept in the living room, and when she woke up Joshan was gone. She said they must have left after she went to bed, and didn’t know where her dad was hiding.
With a warrant, the police tapped the roommate's phone to see if Phillup would call him. He did, and the call was traced to a payphone in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Phillup was involved in the air conditioning business in that area. They focused their search in that area, and tracked Phillup down. He was arrested.
At the police station, he avoided most the questions. When he was asked about Joshan, he replied, “you know how many girls I fucking meet?”
The Conviction
Phillup’s DNA was compared to the hair found on Joshan’s body. It was a match.
The roommate’s car was searched. The police still weren’t convinced he wasn’t involved. In the front seat, the police found a blood stain. It didn’t match Joshan’s, but was a match to the roommate’s son. He also claimed he was in Tampa at work on the night Joshan died. His work corroborated his alibi.
The police believed that Phillup picked Joshan up. They went fishing later in the afternoon after picking up supplies at Walmart. They returned to the house. It’s believed that Phillup had made a move on Joshan after his daughter went to sleep. He then killed her when she rejected him.
He took her to the woods, and actually left behind evidence that would later convict him.
Phillup went on trial for first degree murder. He was found guilty, and sentenced to death.
Tara said Phillup would stare and wink at her during the trial. It was clear this man was very cocky and had no remorse.
Phillup Partin
FINAL THOUGHTS
My heart breaks for Joshan’s family. She was never able to live out her dream of being a singer, and one of her songs was played in the beginning of the episode. Joshan may have trusted Phillup when she saw that he had his young daughter with him. Phillup is a very violent person, and couldn’t hold in his anger when he was rejected. If he hadn’t been released in 1995, then maybe Joshan would still be alive. I’m glad he will never be released again.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillup_Partin
https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2003/02/28/teen-s-last-day-spent-with-killer/
