WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) — The adult female that drove a youth gang to the site of a fatal fight last Friday remains in jail on a cash bond. 19-year-old Nia Phillips was arrested Monday in relation to the death of 13-year-old Isaiah Powell. Powell was allegedly stabbed in the back twice by 15-year-old Dylan Yang, who went into his home and grabbed a large knife after Powell got out of Phillips’ car and started shooting a BB gun at him.
The prosecution asked for a high cash bond for Phillips, and Judge Jill Falstad agreed cash was necessary. “So, when the court factors in the circumstances and the nature of the charge, I do find it appropriate to impose a cash bond to make sure she makes her future court dates and follows the conditions of bond, so I am setting the bond at $10,000 dollars cash.”
Prosecutor Lisa Gramer says officers found over ten knives in Gramer’s car. “I can’t remember the exact number, but it was in a purse. There were several knives found in the back of her car.”
Phillips told officers she was not aware of the knives being in the car, but admitted she owned the purse they were found in.
Phillips was employed at a Wausau fast food restaurant, and was attending Northcentral Technical College. Gramer says she is related to one of the eight juvenile boys at the crime scene. “The reason she’s linked up is that one of the juveniles, as you found out in court today, is her brother, so that’s how she was connected to the case, is that she was driving around her brother and some juvenile friends. So I guess, if there’s any link, it’s just that as an adult, you think you have better thought processes, but that’s not always true and she is still young. Nineteen is still young.”
Gramer will have a preliminary hearing in Branch Two of court March 11th at 10:15 a.m. A pretrial hearing date was also set for March 31st.
The murder suspect is 13-year-old Dylan Yang. He is presently jailed on a one-million dollar cash bond.
Isaiah Powell will be buried Friday. His visitation is Thursday at the Peterson-Kraemer Funeral Home in Wausau.
