LI man pleads ‘not guilty by insanity’ in fatal shooting of his police detective father
A Deer Park man charged in the death of his father, a retired Suffolk police detective and longtime member of the Wyandanch Volunteer Fire Company, shot his father four times on Wednesday morning before fleeing the scene, a prosecutor said on Thursday.
Defendant Christopher Miller, 43, pleaded “not guilty by insanity” to second-degree murder during an arraignment in Central Islip on Thursday. Suffolk police said Miller fatally shot his father, John Miller, 75, following an argument at their Bruno Lane home.
Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Eric Aboulafia said Miller confessed to killing his father, a beloved police officer and firefighter, during a videotaped interview with police.
Suffolk District Judge Eric Sachs ordered Miller held without bail. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday.
Miller, dressed in a white Tyvek suit, told Sachs that he did not want to be represented by his court-appointed attorney Dan Russo and wanted to choose his own lawyer. Sachs persuaded Miller to let Russo represent him for the arraignment, and said he could select another attorney as the second-degree murder case proceeds.
The events that led to the fatal shooting began on Monday, when Christopher Miller was involved in a car accident with a motorist in Stony Brook, police said. Christopher Miller got into a fight with the other driver and was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Miller, unaware of his son’s whereabouts, attempted to report Christopher Miller missing the following day. A Suffolk police officer arrived at his home on Tuesday to complete a missing persons report and later informed the retired detective that his son was in an emergency room.
After Wednesday morning’s shooting, Aboulafia said, Miller left the shotgun and fled from the Bruno Lane home he shared with his father. Miller attempted to steal a truck, and then hid in a shed in the yard of a nearby home. A resident saw him in the shed and called 911.
The officer who responded to the 911 call had also responded to John Miller’s missing person report, the prosecutor said. “He said your father is worried about you,” Aboulafia said. “Let me take you home … little did that officer realize that he would be walking into a murder scene.”
When officer arrived at the Bruno Lane home with Miller, he found the retired detective’s body in a pool of blood, with the shotgun nearby.
A Deer Park man charged in the death of his father, a retired Suffolk police detective and longtime member of the Wyandanch Volunteer Fire Company, shot his father four times on Wednesday morning before fleeing the scene, a prosecutor said on Thursday.
Defendant Christopher Miller, 43, pleaded “not guilty by insanity” to second-degree murder during an arraignment in Central Islip on Thursday. Suffolk police said Miller fatally shot his father, John Miller, 75, following an argument at their Bruno Lane home.
Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Eric Aboulafia said Miller confessed to killing his father, a beloved police officer and firefighter, during a videotaped interview with police.
Suffolk District Judge Eric Sachs ordered Miller held without bail. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday.
Miller, dressed in a white Tyvek suit, told Sachs that he did not want to be represented by his court-appointed attorney Dan Russo and wanted to choose his own lawyer. Sachs persuaded Miller to let Russo represent him for the arraignment, and said he could select another attorney as the second-degree murder case proceeds.
The events that led to the fatal shooting began on Monday, when Christopher Miller was involved in a car accident with a motorist in Stony Brook, police said. Christopher Miller got into a fight with the other driver and was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Miller, unaware of his son’s whereabouts, attempted to report Christopher Miller missing the following day. A Suffolk police officer arrived at his home on Tuesday to complete a missing persons report and later informed the retired detective that his son was in an emergency room.
After Wednesday morning’s shooting, Aboulafia said, Miller left the shotgun and fled from the Bruno Lane home he shared with his father. Miller attempted to steal a truck, and then hid in a shed in the yard of a nearby home. A resident saw him in the shed and called 911.
The officer who responded to the 911 call had also responded to John Miller’s missing person report, the prosecutor said. “He said your father is worried about you,” Aboulafia said. “Let me take you home … little did that officer realize that he would be walking into a murder scene.”
When officer arrived at the Bruno Lane home with Miller, he found the retired detective’s body in a pool of blood, with the shotgun nearby.
Source link
