Phillips was a husband and father of three young boys. Tennessee Department of Correction records reviewed by Fox News Digital show Branch was on probation at the time of the shooting and already wanted for a probation violation before the traffic stop turned deadly.
Branch's criminal history includes convictions for assault, fraud and illegally possessing a gun, according to those records. A judge ruled Tuesday that he will stay behind bars while the case moves forward.
For Phillips' family, the case closes one chapter and opens a much harder one. The department he served now has to reckon with losing an officer during what should have been a routine stop.
State corrections officials already had Branch flagged as a wanted man before he allegedly pulled the trigger, raising the question of how a repeat offender with an open violation ended up behind the wheel that day.