Phillips Enters Guilty Plea in 2023 Murder in Rabun County

On Monday, Feb. 24, Keegan Cleve Plumer Phillips III, 25, entered a guilty plea on charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and two counts of abandonment of a dead body.

Phillips was charged with the murder of Martha “Angie” Angela Ledford, who was 22 years old at the time of her death in 2023. (WNEG News’ report of Phillips’ arrest is available here.)

According to information released yesterday, Feb. 25, by Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Christian, Ledford was killed by Phillips in early August 2023 at a home located on Peppers Lane in Rabun County. Christian stated that Philips has admitted that he strangled Ledford, removed her remains from the home and left her at a location off of Patterson Gap Road. 

“(Phillips) is alleged to have accomplished that with the assistance of a co-defendant whose case remains unresolved,” Christian stated, adding that approximately one day after leaving Ledford’s remains on Patterson Gap Road, he returned to the location and decapitated the body. 

According to official reports, as the investigation began, Phillips’ whereabouts were unknown. However, after receiving a tip from a homeowner in Hall County, numerous law enforcement agencies began searching for him in that area. The Georgia State Patrol, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI and other agencies used K9 officers, aerial surveillance, and other methods to apprehend Phillips on August 8, 2024.

“Upon his arrest, Phillips was red his rights and then interviewed by Special Agent Perry and Special Agent Adam Selby,” reports state. “He made various admissions and an eventual confession to the strangulation of Ms. Ledford, as well as the manner in which he disposed of her remains.

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Fogal appeared on behalf of the Office of the District Attorney of the Mountain Judicial Circuit, and after consulting with Christian, as well as the victim’s family, the State conveyed a plea offer to defense counsel. Brian Rickman, presiding by designation, presided over the matter and accepted Phillips’ plea of guilty to all charges.

“Phillips was then sentenced in a manner that amounted to a life sentence plus 6 years additional confinement,” stated Christian.