Dallas Money Courier Shot To Death; Killers Unknown

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Phillip Washington was shot to death on Jan. 6, 2008. The crime was caught on tape.

It was 6:30 a.m on January 6, 2008, and 50-year-old Phillip Washington was about to finish work as a money courier and security guard, which he had done for ten years.

Phillip would collect money from businesses across the Dallas area and deposit their receipts in local banks. His busiest time was between midnight and early in the morning, probably the most dangerous time to work on the streets.

Because Phillip had law enforcement training, dating back to the late 1970s when he worked at the campus police department of Texas A&M University - Commerce, family members say he knew how to sense danger.

As he was making his last deposit at the State Bank of Texas in Dallas that January morning, three unknown thugs jumped out of nowhere and shot him on the chest. He had tried to reach for his gun, but it was too late.

The murder was caught on camera, and so were the images of the thugs who stole a big sum of money from Phillip. Cops say the suspects fled in Phillip's white truck, which was found a week later, and took Phillip's gun, which hasn't yet been found.

Dallas Morning News Columnist Writes For Justice

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Dallas Morning News Columnist James Ragland met Phillip Washington at East Texas State University, now Texas A&M University-Commerce, 25 years ago.

The news of Phillip's murder spread quickly, not only because the horrible images of the murder were shown on the local news, but also, because of one of Phillip's old friends, James Ragland.

James, a prominent local journalist, has worked at the Dallas Morning News for 23 years, and has written extensively on nearly every conceivable subject.

But on Jan. 7, he dedicated a blog post to Phillip's murder.

James Ragland met Phillip Washington at East Texas State University, now Texas A&M University - Commerce, more than 25 years ago. Since Phillip's murder, James has worked to keep his friend's murder top-of-mind for the city.

James won't let Phillip be forgotten, and he's hoping that someone will come forward with the information cops need to solve the case once and for all.

"The toughest part for me was realizing that Phil had been shot and killed," James wrote in an e-mail to America's Most Wanted. "It brought forth all the feelings I had for Phil, a good man with a good heart."

He says that "writing the column was an emotional relief in the sense that I thought it might help law enforcement authorities to nab the killers. That remains my hope - so that Phil's murder won't go unaccounted for, and so that his family and loved ones might get the closure we deserve."

James now hopes that AMW will help cops identify Phillip's killers.

"I appreciate any attention that America's Most Wanted can bring to the murder of Phillip Leon Washington, who was ambushed, viciously attacked and left for dead on Jan. 6, 2008, in Dallas, Texas," he said.

He also says that "it is the urgent desire of his family and friends to see that Phil's killers are held accountable for their savage crime."

The Suspects: What To Look For

Cops don't have many clues to go on, aside from what was caught on surveillance tape. They are looking for three suspects:

The first is described as a black male in his 30's. This man stands about 5'11" tall with a stocky build, and was wearing a yellow hooded jacket and a red and blue-colored stocking mask.

The second suspect is a black male in his 20's. He is described as a tall man with a thin build, who was wearing a black hooded jacket and a blue bandanna over his face at the time of the crime.

Cops don't have much of a description for the third person involved, but they say that person was wearing dark or black clothing when the murder took place.

If you know anything about the savage murder of Phillip Washington, call our hotline at 1-800-CRIME-TV right now. You can remain anonymous.