Spring Valley murder suspect representing himself while family looks for lawyer

A Spring Valley man wants to represent himself in his murder case for now while his family is still looking for a lawyer. 24-year old Nicolaus Phillips is accused of shooting and killing 42-year old Eric Clements on Ottawa’s south side earlier this month after he apparently took offense to messages sent by Clements to his girlfriend Chastity Furar. Phillips says he wants to file some motions before his next court date. Judge H. Chris Ryan is giving him two weeks to do it. He didn’t enter a plea during Thursday’s court hearing but could do it on July 6th when he’s due back in court. Ryan also told Phillips that he’s not going to get any help filing motions unless he gets an attorney. Furar is due back in court on July 14th. She’s also been charged with first-degree murder even though she didn’t fire the gun used to kill Clements. However, she did allegedly drive Phillips to Clements’s home on Marcy St and allegedly drove away after the shooting.