One of the men charged with killing three people in Fairmont’s Windmill Park in 1974 pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday.
Phillip Reese Bush pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony in Marion County Court Wednesday.
Bush, acting with Eddie Washington who was arraigned last week, shot and killed three people in 1974, according to police. The victims — Fairmont residents Guy Lester Phillips, 20, his wife, Wanda Jane Phillips, 19, and Billy Ray Cobb, 27 — were shot execution style, police said.
Bush is currently serving a life sentence at Mt. Olive Correctional Complex after being convicted of a 1982 double murder in Fairmont. He will remain at Mt. Olive until his trial set for May 15. Washington’s trial is scheduled for the June term of the court.
Last week, Judge Michael Aloi denied bond to Washington who was arrested in Florida earlier this year. After Washington was arrested, police named Bush in a criminal complaint as a participant in the murders. He was later charged, and both men were indicted by a grand jury.
Police in several states assisted with the investigation. New information surfaced in Sept. 2012, leading to a revival in the investigation and Washington’s arrest.