LACROSSE, Wis. – A Winona woman accused of murder in the death of her husband in 2019, when they lived in suburban Holmen, is free. A jury found Lori Ann Phillips not guilty after a five-day trial. The jury deliberated only 4-1/2 hours. As the court clerk read the verdict, Phillips dropped her head and sat motionless with relief. Judge Elliott Levine pronounced Phillips, age 50, free to go. She was charged in June 2020. The trial was on whether she was guilty of second-degree murder for running her husband over with a pickup truck during an argument.
Zachar. Her attorney.
Phillips was represented by LaCrosse attorney Chris Zachar. He said the acquittal “hinged on the truth.” It was a difficult situation for somebody who was innocent of the second-degree murder charge and did nothing to bring on the situation: “She has lived through this tragic and awful event over the last five years,” Zachar said. “Truth prevailed.”
Phillips. Leaving courtroom after acquittal. With attorney Chris Zachar. She went home legally unburdened to Winona, where she has relocated.