Shykwon Rashard Gibbs, 28, of Conover, was sentenced to serve 26 to 33 years in prison following his conviction for second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury during Catawba County Superior Court on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
The Honorable Karen Eady-Williams, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, imposed terms of the active sentence after Gibbs entered a guilty plea for the June 19, 2022, shooting death of 47-year-old Amy Raelynn Phillips and for shooting her 23-year-old daughter and his long-time girlfriend, Keiyara Kelly Johnson, multiple times.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
When Catawba County deputies and EMS personnel arrived at Phillips’ Conover residence, they found Phillips deceased and Johnson suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Johnson was taken to Catawba Valley Medical Center and later transported by helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte for treatment of her injuries.
On the night of the fatal shooting, Gibbs, who had been drinking, went to Phillips’ residence and started beating on the door before kicking it to get inside where Johnson was. He shot and killed Phillips as she attempted to get him out of the residence away from her daughter. He then turned and shot Johnson multiple times in the chest area.
The .40-caliber handgun used in the shootings was located in the yard of Phillips’ residence.
After being taken into custody and waiving his rights, Gibbs spoke with investigators and told them he shot Phillips and Johnson.
Further investigation into the case showed a lengthy history of domestic violence between Gibbs and Johnson, something she spoke of when addressing the Court, and the abuse she endured.
“He should be held accountable for every ounce of pain (inflicted),” Johnson said. “The damage has been done; there is no undoing it.”
She added, “No words can fully capture the depth of pain I carry. That night, my mother was only doing what any good mother would do: protecting her child. She didn’t deserve to have her life stolen. Because of Shykwon, she’s gone.”
Mike Crisp was the lead investigator for the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Jessica Phillips prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Dea Crowe.