A police officer who is accused of murdering his 20-year old mistress in the summer of 2011 is also accused of leaving their child to die in a hot car.

Richmond Phillips, who worked for the D.C. police department, began his trial today with prosecutors alleging he shot Wynetta Wright and knowingly left 1-year old Jaylin in her carseat with the doors closed and windows rolled up because of a dispute over having to pay child support. Although evidence against him is circumstantial, prosecutors contend he knew what he was doing, especially after all the stories in the news in recent years about the dangers of leaving children in cars during hot weather.

Stories of children being left in hot cars tend to hit national news now after the tragic deaths of so many infants; here in Kentucky, the death of a baby at the hands of his careless babysitter formed “Bryan’s Law”, which brings a harsh penalty for adults who leave children unattended in a car.