Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announced today former Lawrence resident Martin Miller, 56, was sentenced late yesterday afternoon in the Division Five courtroom of the Honorable Paula B. Martin following his retrial for the 2004 first degree murder of his wife, the late Mary Miller.  The retrial was a result of a February 2014 decision by the Kansas Court of Appeals that ruled Mr. Miller must be provided a new trial due to a jury instruction error during the original 2005 trial.

The court sentenced Mr. Miller to lifetime imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years.  The Court ordered if he would be released from prison that he must register as a violent offender for 15 years.  Miller has already served 3,269 days (over eight years) which will count toward his sentence.

Investigation with the case began when officers with the Lawrence Police Department were dispatched to the Miller home in the 2100 block of Carolina Street shortly after 6:00 a.m. on July 28, 2004.  Mr. Miller called 911 and claimed that he found his wife dead in their bed.  Officers with LPD arrived at the home and quickly determined it was a potential crime scene.  The coroner was called to the home to complete an on-site investigation prior to removing the victim’s body from the home.  The coroner ultimately concluded Ms. Miller was the victim of homicide by asphyxiation.  In tandem with the coroner’s investigation, detectives with the Lawrence Police Department continued their investigation into the circumstances of the victim’s death.  They learned Mr. Miller had a four year ongoing affair that included an extensive collection of personal pornographic images and the couple had held a ‘commitment ceremony’ two years prior.  Detectives also learned Mr. Miller had active memberships on multiple online dating websites where he portrayed himself as single.  They also found a list of pros and cons of divorcing his wife, that among other issues, focused on the potential loss of his perceived status in his church and school activities for his children.

The case was investigated by the Lawrence Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Mark Simpson and Andrew Bauch.

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