Fayetteville man accused of attempted murder ordered to remain hospitalized

by Aaron Gibson, Editor, Dec 8, 2015

The Fayetteville man accused of attempting to kill his neighbor by stabbing him multiple times last March has been ordered to remain institutionalized until a February 2016 review hearing.

Robert Philpot, age 66, has been under treatment at Heartland of Hillsboro Nursing and Rehabilitation Center since a July 21st ruling finding him incompetent to stand trial at that particular period, according to court records filed in Brown County Court of Common Pleas.

However, the court could not immediately determine if Philpot would become competent to stand trial within one year.

On Dec 8, the court motioned to retain jurisdiction over Philpot, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree felony attempted murder and two counts of second-degree felony assault. A review hearing was set for February 3, 2016.

Philpot and the neighbor involved in the case, David Amburgey, reportedly had been in a long-standing feud after the latter testified against the former in a previous case.

In September 2014, Philpot was convicted of aggravated menacing in Brown County Municipal Court after an incident in which he was accused of discharging a firearm at a vehicle driving down the road. The firearm was reportedly discharged in the same direction as Amburgey. Philpot was found guilty of two counts of aggravated menacing with a charge of improper use of a firearm being dismissed.

Bad blood continued among the neighbors, who live on Victory Lane near Fayetteville, and on March 11, 2015, Philpot allegedly threatened to kill Amburgey before stabbing him multiple times with a knife.

According to court records, Philpot had just been bonded out of jail one hour prior to stabbing Amburgey. Philpot had been charged with aggravated menacing after Amburgey called 911 saying Philpot approached him with a hammer threatening to “smash his head in.”

Later in the day, after Philpot was bonded out, Amburgey was returning home when he once again was allegedly approached by Philpot in a threatening manner. This time Philpot was said to have a knife, and allegedly started threatening Amburgey’s life before he stabbed him multiple times, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Brown County Municipal Court.

The affidavit says Amburgey allegedly punched Philpot in the face several times in an attempt to stop him. Philpot then fell to the ground and Amburgey was able to get the knife and toss it.

According to local media reports, the first incident that day occurred around 10:30 AM, and the second incident occurred around 04:40 PM.

Both men were Aircared from the scene and taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Amburgey suffered a traumatic brain injury from the incident and remains hospitalized, according to court records.

If Philpot is found competent to stand trial, he faces up to eleven years in prison should he be convicted.

—Brown County Crime Reporter, Dec 8, 2015 10:38 PM EST

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