Donald Gene Miller

Case record: Donald Gene Miller

Background

Donald Gene Miller was a graduate in criminal justice from Michigan State University. He was diagnosed by court psychiatrists as a paranoid psychotic and a religious fanatic. The court psychiatrists diagnosed him as mentally ill before his trial. He had a history of mental illness.

The offence

Over a 20-month period between 1977 and 1978, prosecutors said Miller killed four women. Over that same period, prosecutors said Miller raped another and attempted to kill a man.

In 1978, at age 23, Miller was convicted of raping a teenager in Lansing, and he was also convicted of attempting to kill both the girl and her brother. He received a sentence of 30 to 50 years in state prison on that rape and attempted murder.

While serving the 30- to 50-year prison sentence, during July 1979, Miller confessed to the murders of his fiancée and three other East Lansing women. He struck a plea bargain that earned him another fifteen years on charges of voluntary manslaughter.

Investigation

Miller was arrested while attempting his 5th rape-murder. In exchange for leading prosecutors to the bodies of his four victims, the charges against him were reduced to only manslaughter. Prosecutors suspected additional killings of three other women in 1977 and 1978 and hiding their bodies, but prosecutors said they never had enough evidence to charge him with the additional slayings and could not find the corpses.

Arrest

Trial

In 1979, Miller accepted his sentence on August 29, 1979.

Miller told the court:

"I'm deeply sorry for what has happened. I wish I could undo what has been done."

Sentencing

Miller was sentenced to 30-to-50-years in state prison after a conviction connected to the rape and attempted murder of surviving victims. He received this 30- to 50-year sentence for rape and attempted murder of surviving victims in 1978.

On May 31, 1979, Miller was sentenced to 15 years in prison on a plea bargain to voluntary manslaughter.

While serving his 30- to 50-year prison sentence and becoming eligible for parole, prosecutors and community activists used a 1994 incident report to keep him incarcerated.

Miller was convicted and handed an additional 20- to 40-year prison term based on an incident in 1994.

Appeals

No appeals were described.

Outcome

Miller was a prisoner in Jackson State Prison in Michigan. His possible parole date was 2018.

A Michigan judge deemed he was still too dangerous to be released. Though he could have been released in February after earning ten years off for good behavior, he was not released.

Miller served the maximum amount of prison time required under the state's old laws, and authorities said he could not have been denied parole this year unless the prison warden took the unusual step of revoking Miller's “good time” credits, or, as happened, convicted him of another crime.

Aftermath

Sue Young led the campaign to keep Miller in prison. Sue Young was the mother of one of Miller’s victims, and her push included the violent predator bill.

Sue Young told APBnews.com:

"I don't think our founding fathers meant to have serial killers out walking our streets"

Sue Young said her daughter, Martha Sue Young, was Miller's first victim. Sue Young said Martha Sue Young and Miller once dated. Sue Young said Miller was a “friend of the family,” frequently at the Young home and attending the same church. Sue Young also said:

"But please, do not call him a gentleman or say he is a Christian"

Other details

Miller’s rap sheet listed convictions of two counts of manslaughter, one count of assault with intent to commit murder, one count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree with a weapon, and one conviction for being a prisoner in possession of a weapon.

Miller was 44 years old in the information provided, and his possible parole date was 2018.

Michael Newton’s reference included the following case attributes: Miller (1955-), sex male, race M, type T, motive sex, date(s) 1978, venue Lansing, Mich., victims four confessed, and method of rapist who killed his fiancée and three other women.

The information provided stated that prosecutors said Miller attempted to kill a man and that Miller had raped another in addition to the killings.

Guards said they found what they described as a cord-like device in his cell that could have been used to strangle someone. Prosecutors and victims' rights advocates used this incident to keep Miller behind bars.

The case that triggered the bill involved confessed serial killer Donald Miller. In 1979, Miller got a 10- to 15-year sentence after pleading guilty to a count of manslaughter in connection with the slaying of one woman. He was also given a 30- to 50-year sentence after pleading guilty to raping a woman and attempting to murder her brother.

The provided material also stated that Miller led investigators to the bodies of the three women he had killed.

The provided material included the line “APB News August 31, 1999.”