JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The arrest warrant for the man accused of stabbing a Jacksonville mother to death at a Riverside apartment complex in 1996, shows that he possibly lived next to the murder scene.
Jerry Philips, 69, is currently booked into the Duval County jail, being held on no bond on two charges: second-degree murder and sexual battery. He was arrested in Johnston County, North Carolina for Valerie Ames's murder on April 2, approaching 28 years since she had been killed at the Courtyard Apartments on King Street.
Ames, who was 31 years old at the time she was murdered, was found dead on Aug. 10, 1996.
The arrest warrant states that a sexual assault kit was collected during the autopsy done on Ames; it says Philips' DNA was found on the swabs and left-hand fingernail clippings collected from her.
DNA testing revealed that the samples are that of a Black male, the warrant states, in which is Philips', leading investigators to cross off names on the witness list of Ames's murder, as they were checking to see if the DNA samples were a match.
After the series of DNA tests and forensic analysis spanning more than a decade, the warrant shows that on Oct. 12, 2023, a DNA search warrant for the collection of Philips' buccal swabs was obtained and executed.
At the time of the DNA collection, Philips was asked by investigators about his name listed on the 1996 incident report, the warrant states. Philips said he never lived in the apartment complex where Ames's murder took place, never saw Ames and said that if he was in the complex, it was to see/visit a friend named "Odell."
The warrant then states that investigators later located and interviewed a man named Odell Carter at an unspecified date. Investigators say he recognized Philips from a picture, saw him "a few times over the years" around Jacksonville, and was his neighbor, saying that Philips lived in "Apartment 2" at the time of Ames's killing.
On March 19, 2024, the warrant states that Jacksonville Sheriff's cold case detectives spoke with Philips again. Philips again stated he never lived in the complex where Ames was murdered, but instead lived on Herschel Street in "Apartment 2," according to the warrant.
Philips was then shown a picture of Ames, as he advised he did not know her, "never saw her, nor has ever had sex with her," the warrant states.
Philips's arraignment is scheduled for May 9.
Ames left behind her mother, two young daughters and eventually, six grandchildren.