According to court records, he was granted 444 days credit for time spent in jail and was ordered to forfeit the firearm used in the murder.
Credit: Miami County Jail
Credit: Miami County Jail
The sentence came after Miller pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder in an agreement that jointly recommended the sentence of life in prison.
The charges stem from Aug. 4, 2023, when police were called around 11:16 p.m. to Fountain Park in the 1300 block of Forest Avenue.
Piqua Police Lt. Miles Gearing said at the time that officers found one man dead and another wounded. The wounded man was flown by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital.
The dead victim was later identified as Deacon Graham, 18, of Piqua. He had been shot three times.
In sentencing documents, the judge said that Miller knew the two victims and had asked for the information of the victim who was wounded, indicating that he needed to be hurt. It also said that Miller established his purpose and plan for the shooting in text messages.
The two victims were in a car when Miller opened fire, documents said, adding that Graham was an innocent passenger. Miller then went home, “acting as if nothing had happened when confronted,” took a shower, took apart the gun and hid the pieces, documents said.
“There was no doubt this was cold-blooded murder of [Graham], where [Miller], even throughout sentencing, expressed no emotion,” the judge wrote, adding that Miller “planned the incident and intentionally chose to murder one victim and attempted murder of the second.”
The judge also said they found that letters expressing Miller’s character were at odds with investigator reports that found he had used drugs for many years, that he was a ranked member in a gang and that his phone contained texts and videos displaying guns, drugs and money. She also said that Miller’s phone calls from jail showed he was acting like two different people when he spoke to family versus when he spoke to others.
Ultimately, the judge said she decided on the sentence recommended in a plea agreement, saying due to “[Miller’s] undetected behavior, his planning and calculation, the unexplained reasoning for the unprovoked murder, the Court finds the risk to the public is far too great at this time.”
Miller is currently in custody at the Miami County Jail.
About the Author
