Ralph Phillips, the Stockton native who pleaded guilty to shooting three New York State Troopers, one fatally, was denied the right to rescind his guilty plea and go to trial Thursday.
A 5-0 ruling from the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court in Albany rejected the argument that his legal defense was inadequate and his guilty plea was coerced.
Phillips, 47, is serving life in prison for fatally wounding 32-year-old trooper Joseph Longobardo and shooting troopers Sean Brown and Donald Baker back in 2006.
Phillips used a can opener to pry open a metal roof at the Erie County Jail on April 2, 2006, and escape. Over the next five months, he was the subject of one of the largest manhunts ever in the state, spanning several counties and crossing several jurisdictional lines.
The tactics of the New York State Police were under intense public scrutiny in Chautauqua County during the manhunt, as people reported at the time that they felt under siege and questioned their overall demeanor during the operation.
He was eventually captured by Pennsylvania State Police on Sept. 8 in Warren County, and his court cases followed.
Phillips, or inmate 06B3437 as he is known by the state, is currently serving a life sentence in the Clinton Correctional Facility located in the rural village of Dannemora, N.Y., located more than 300 miles from Chautauqua County to the east.