Haley found guilty of murder

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WILMINGTON — After a lengthy jury deliberation that began Friday and continued into Saturday morning, Phillip Haley was found guilty of two of the six charges he faced in the shooting death of Zachary Parrott.

The jury found Haley guilty of murder and felonious assault, both with weapons specifications. He was found not guilty of four charges — two counts of aggravated murder, trespassing, and a second murder charge.

Clinton County Common Pleas Judge John “Tim” Rudduck sentenced Haley to a mandatory 18 years to life — three years for the felonious assault charge (419 days credited) and 15 years for the murder charge. Haley will be eligible for parole after serving 18 years.

The shooting death of Parrott, of Washington Court House, occurred in December 2021 in Lees Creek. According to court documents, Haley’s estranged wife, Kari, had invited Parrott, a co-worker of hers, and a mutual friend to her house to play board games.

Kari was showing Parrott around her house when Phillip Haley entered the residence. The affidavit notes that the suspect hasn’t lived at the house since November, and he was living in his truck.

Phillip Haley “came running up the stairs and began yelling at Zachary Parrott,” the affidavit states. He reportedly told Parrott to leave the house, which he agreed to do.

As Parrott was getting ready to leave, a fight broke out with Phillip Haley reportedly assaulting both Parrott and Kari Haley.

A fight began between Phillip Haley and Parrott, which led to the upstairs bathroom. Gunshots were heard and Parrott was found on the bathroom floor bleeding from two bullet wounds. Parrott was declared dead by the Sabina Fire Department.

According to a release from Clinton County Prosecutor Andrew McCoy, Phillip Haley had moved out of the house during “the pendency of a children service’s investigation” and had apparently removed Kari from the home security system without her knowledge.

Haley accessed the cameras to watch the home 31 times on the day of the incident, according to McCoy. Haley apparently believed Parrott was a divorce attorney.

Haley claimed self-defense during the trial and feared for his life, according to McCoy’s release. He described himself as a “disabled veteran with severe back injuries preventing him from being able to defend himself,” according to McCoy. However, according to McCoy, on cross-examination prosecutors played for the jury videos that Haley had taken of himself working out and bench pressing sets of 225 pounds for multiple reps.

“My heart goes out to the Parrott family. We hope this small measure of justice can offer some peace,” said McCoy.

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