A Maryland Man Wanted Cash. So He Broke Into His Former Boss' Home, Killed Him And Stole Some Checks.

A Maryland man pleaded guilty to breaking into his former boss’s home, stealing checks and fatally shooting him in 2021, according to authorities.

On June 24, 2021, the CEO of Payment Solutions Inc., Geoffrey Biddle, did not show up for work and was reported missing, according to court documents.

Stephen Willard, Biddle’s close friend and former business partner, reportedly decided to go check on Biddle at his home in Bethesda and when he arrived, he saw his car parked in the driveway with a flat tire, which he thought was “suspicious.”

The home was unlocked and Willard went in and found Biddle’s wallet, which was missing credit cards and cash because “Biddle usually kept around $100 cash in his wallet,” court documents stated.

Willard thought the basement door was locked, so he never checked it. He had someone call the police to investigate the situation further.

Montgomery County Police arrived at the home and searched the basement, which is when they found Biddle’s body on the ground with a “large amount of blood” and .22 caliber shell casings.

During the investigation, investigators found a “one-minute call to SunTrust bank” on Biddle’s cell phone and an email to Biddle’s employees, “which stated that Biddle was having a family emergency and would be out of touch.” on his cell phone.

The email made employees suspicious since Biddle wasn’t supposed to be working on the day it was sent, June 23, 2021.

An employee who had access to Biddle’s accounts looked into his bank information and “noticed a check from Biddle’s personal SunTrust account made out to Billy Phillips” on June 20, 2021. The signature on the check was reportedly forged.

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Phillips was a former employee in Biddle’s company and was fired “due to lack of performance” in May or June 2020, officials said.

Investigators obtained surveillance footage and other evidence to determine Phillips went to Biddle’s home on June 23, 2021, to steal the check, but ran into Biddle at some point and fatally shot him.

Phillips then predated some stolen checks before cashing them in on the day of the murder and on June 25, 2021, authorities said.

Phillips pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, home invasion, armed robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, WTTG-TV reported.

Sentencing is scheduled for later this month. Phillips faces a possible sentence of life in prison with an additional 65 years.