Man arraigned in death of KSP Trooper Phillips

Published 10:53 am Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Emonnie Branch, the man charged with the murder of Kentucky State Trooper Hayden Phillips, enters the courtroom for Tuesday’s arraignment in the Warren County Justice Center.
(JACK DOBBS / Daily News)

The man charged in the death of Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips appeared in court Tuesday, his first court date since being indicted.

Emonnie Dion Branch, 51, was arraigned in Warren Circuit Court on charges of murder of a first responder (peace officer), convicted felon in possession of a handgun and tampering with physical evidence.

Branch did not speak except to indicate to Warren Circuit Judge J.B. Hines that he understood his rights as a criminal defendant and that he wanted an attorney appointed to represent him.

Attorneys Sara Zeurcher and Ty Howorth of the Department of Public Advocacy stood with Branch, entering a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Hines scheduled a status conference to discuss the exchange of discovery evidence in the case for Feb. 12.

The judge also granted a motion from Branch’s defense team directing the preservation of all physical evidence currently in the state’s custody and requiring the Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to notify the defense of all evidence or property seized in the case that has been released to third parties or has been destroyed or consumed.

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Several of Phillips’ surviving family and a number of law enforcement officials attended Tuesday’s arraignment.

Phillips, 28, was shot and killed Sept. 28 during a traffic stop on Interstate 65.

According to court records, Phillips stopped a Honda Civic that had an expired temporary tag near the 38-mile marker of northbound I-65 and approached the Civic from the passenger side to speak with the driver and sole occupant.

A criminal complaint filed in the case stated that two shots were fired from the Civic, with the driver then merging back into traffic and continuing north after Phillips collapsed and fell backward.

The interaction was captured by Phillips’ in-car camera, according to court records.

A passing motorist dialed 911 to report the incident, and investigators attempting to locate the Civic learned that the tag came back to a woman with an Alabama address, who was found to be living at the time at a Tennessee address associated with Branch.

Police contacted the woman, who confirmed the Civic was Branch’s vehicle and who gave police a phone number associated with Branch, according to the criminal complaint.

Branch was arrested on Sept. 28 in Jefferson County after law enforcement used license plate reader cameras to help locate the car and officers used a grappler device to stop the car.

Murder of a first responder (peace officer) is classified under Kentucky law as a capital offense, punishable by the death penalty or life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Possession of a handgun by a convicted felon is punishable under state law by up to 10 years in prison, while tampering with physical evidence carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

A resident of Glasgow, Phillips was a three-year veteran of KSP who had previously served with the Glasgow and Russell Springs police departments and also once worked as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Russell County.

He is survived by his wife and three children.