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BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY, USA — Man Accused of Killing State Trooper Hayden Phillips Pleads Not Guilty

Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips, 28, was shot and killed on Monday, September 28, 2026, while making a traffic stop on northbound Interstate 65 just north of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Police say the driver, Emonnie Dion Branch, 51, of Portland, Tennessee, drove away and was arrested about three hours later in Louisville. A grand jury charged him with murder of a police officer, having a handgun as a convicted felon, and tampering with evidence. On Tuesday, October 27, he pleaded not guilty. The murder charge can carry the death penalty, but prosecutors have not said if they will seek it.

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Date
September 28, 2026
Location
Northbound Interstate 65 near mile marker 39, Warren County, just north of Bowling Green
Victims
Trooper Hayden Phillips, 28, Kentucky State Police Post 3 Bowling Green. He leaves behind a wife and three sons.
Suspect
Emonnie Dion Branch, 51, of Portland, Tennessee. Charged; held in jail without bail.
Stage
COURT HEARINGS

Last updated:

Evidence

Emonnie Branch in court in Bowling Green on Oct. 27, 2026 (left) and Trooper Hayden Phillips (right). Photo: WBKO

Next expected update: Status conference — February 12, 2027

Timeline

  1. NEW COURT HEARINGS

    Update #4 — Search warrant: suspected cocaine and shell casings found in car

    A search warrant shows investigators found two spent shell casings in a 2017 Honda Civic. They also found suspected cocaine in a Cheetos bag, a digital scale and plastic baggies. Police got a warrant to search Emonnie Branch's iPhone as they look into murder and drug trafficking.

  2. COURT HEARINGS Court

    Update #3 — Branch pleads not guilty — next court date February 12, 2027

    Emonnie Branch, 51, charged with killing Kentucky State Trooper Hayden Phillips, was arraigned in Warren Circuit Court and pleaded not guilty to murder of a first responder, handgun possession by a convicted felon, and tampering with evidence. He remains in jail without bond. The judge set a status conference for February 12, 2027. Prosecutors have not yet said whether they will seek the death penalty.
  3. Emonnie Branch at an earlier court appearance, with Trooper Hayden Phillips (inset). Photo: WLKY

    COURT HEARINGS

    Update #2 — What Happened and How He Was Caught

    What happened: On Monday, September 28, 2026, shortly after 2 p.m. Central time, Trooper Hayden Phillips pulled over a blue Honda Civic on northbound Interstate 65 near mile marker 39, just north of Bowling Green. Police say the driver shot him twice and drove away. A passing driver called police. The trooper's dashboard and body cameras recorded the stop. Phillips died from his wounds.

    The victim: Hayden Phillips was 28. He worked at Kentucky State Police Post 3 in Bowling Green and had earlier served with the Glasgow Police Department. He leaves behind a wife and three sons.

    How he was caught: Using witness information and the trooper's camera video, investigators identified the car and its driver, Emonnie Dion Branch, 51, of Portland, Tennessee. Around 3:20 p.m., state police sent out a Blue Alert (an emergency phone alert about a suspect who hurt or killed an officer), warning he was armed and dangerous and driving a blue Honda Civic with a temporary Alabama tag. Tips poured in. Cellphone data showed his general area, and a Louisville police analyst used Flock license plate cameras to pinpoint the car. Shortly after 5 p.m., about 95 miles from the shooting, officers stopped the car on Dixie Highway near Burwell Avenue in Louisville using a Grappler, a device that catches a car's wheel so there is no chase. SWAT officers talked to him and he surrendered after several minutes. Troopers then put Trooper Phillips' own handcuffs on him. Prosecutors say he gave a fake name when he was arrested and has a long criminal record. Police have not said whether the gun was found.

    What happens next: A grand jury indicted Branch on three charges: murder of a first responder, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and tampering with physical evidence. He pleaded not guilty and is held without bail. The murder charge is a capital offense, so he could face the death penalty if prosecutors seek it; they have not said whether they will. His next court date is February 12, 2027, at 10 a.m.

    Watch the video: https://www.wbko.com/video/2026/09/29/emonnie-branchs-arraignment/ (Video: WBKO, his first court appearance on Sept. 29)
  4. Emonnie Branch at his arraignment on Oct. 27, 2026, and Trooper Hayden Phillips. Photo: WBKO

    COURT HEARINGS

    Update #1 — Accused Killer Pleads Not Guilty; Next Court Date Is February 12

    Emonnie Branch, 51, appeared in Warren Circuit Court in Bowling Green on Tuesday morning, October 27, for his arraignment (the hearing where a person charged with a crime answers the charges). His public defenders entered a not guilty plea for him to murder of a police officer, having a handgun as a convicted felon, and tampering with evidence. Trooper Phillips' family sat in the courtroom alongside other officers. Judge J.B. Hines set the next hearing, to go over the evidence in the case, for February 12, 2027, at 10 a.m. Branch stays in jail with no bail. Prosecutors have not said whether they will seek the death penalty.

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