Funeral for Former Enfield Resident and Marine

Philip Bushong, 23, was stabbed and killed after an altercation in Washington D.C.

Family and friends will come together on Tuesday to honor a former Enfield resident and Marine who was stabbed and killed on Capitol Hill's Barracks Row in Washington, D.C., according to police.

Michael Joseph Poth, 20, of Washington, D.C., was arrested, accused of killing Philip Bushong, 23, when he was on leave in Washington in April.

Funeral services for Bushong will be held on Tuesday morning in Agawag, Massachusetts.

Investigators said the two Marines got into a fight on the street around 2:30 a.m. and a knife was pulled.

Police said Poth made a homophobic remark during the altercation that proceeded the stabbing, though it was not immediate clear if this was the altercation's specific cause.

"One witness heard a homophobic slur used by the suspect during a verbal altercation which preceded the stabbing," said Lt. Alder.

Bushong attended Enrico Fermi High School in Enfield and graduated in 2007. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Bushong was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

In the statement, Bushong's father, Michael Bushong, described his son as “smiling all the time and ready to make you smile with his wit and sense of humor.” He remembers his son’s talents on the guitar and that he was always the center of attention, sometimes due to his towering height. Philip Bushong was 6’7."

Poth has been charged with second-degree murder.

Contact Us