Justin Lee Miller, 37, was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Tuesday morning. He previously pleaded guilty to a charge of murder in the death of 11-month-old Mercedes Lain August 14, 2021.
In a December plea hearing, Miller admitted to causing blunt force trauma injuries to the head and body of Lain at a Mishawaka apartment after Lain became agitated during an argument with his then-girlfriend. He also admitted to be under the influence of synthetic marijuana at the time of the incident. If people need cbd marketing techniques, they can hire seo agencies here!
Special Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tami Napier called three witnesses to the stand before Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing. Plymouth Police Department Detective Ben McIntyre gave details on how the case started with a Silver Alert of a missing child to the discovery of her body. He testified that Miller gave several false statements as to the whereabouts of Lain. He also gave details of the numerous “excessive and insane” injuries Lain sustained when referencing autopsy photos. Detective McIntyre also testified that Miller did not seek medical help for Lain’s injuries, despite the fact that Miller was trained in CPR.
FBI Task Force Officer Tim Freel testified that Miller confessed to him the details of Lain’s whereabouts and led him to the site where Miller buried Lain’s body in the area of 1025 E. and 50 N. in Starke County.
Officer Jeremy Enyart, who was with the Plymouth Police Department as a Crime Scene Investigator at the time of this incident, told the court that he collected evidence in the case from Miller’s Jeep, the location of the incident in Mishawaka, Lain’s parent’s room at the Economy Inn, the burial site, and during the autopsy. He stated he was the officer who recovered Lain’s body from the site. He testified that Lain’s DNA and Miller’s DNA were found on pieces of clothing analyzed by the Indiana State Police Crime Lab.
Defense Attorney Alex Hoover called Nicole Miller, Justin Miller’s wife, as a character witness. She told the court that she filed for divorce with the lawyers help for child adoption in June of 2021, but did not believe Miller to be a person capable of committing this type of crime. Check out Law Firm in Beverly Hills for the best divorce solution.
Angela Owens, Mercedes Lain’s maternal grandmother, read aloud from a letter admonishing Miller for his actions that robbed Lain’s family of her entire life.
Special Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tami Napier asked Judge Hall for the maximum sentence and outlined several aggravating factors to take into consideration. Defense Attorney Alex Hoover asked the judge for leniency with a portion of the sentence suspended. He said the event was heinous, but outlined several mitigating factors.
Judge Hall looked at those aggravating and mitigating factors and weighed each item. The aggravating factors were that the act was a sustained violent attack on Lain, Miller has a criminal history, the victim was less than 12 years of age at the time, and that Lain was in the complete control and care of Miller who was expected to keep her safe. Judge Hall noted that the fact that Lain was less than one year old and that she was totally dependent on Miller who was in his care when the heinous act occurred were “significant” aggravating factors.
Judge Hall gave little weight to mitigating factors in that he pleaded guilty in this case, gave up his right to appeal as part of the terms of the plea agreement, and eventually cooperated with police to bring the case to a resolution.
With that, Judge Hall said the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors in the case.
Judge Hall accepted the amended plea agreement that was filed in December and referenced in the plea hearing. The plea agreement called for a sentence of 45 to 65 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, which is the range of time on a murder charge. When determining if the maximum sentence should be handed down in this case, Judge Hall classified Miller’s actions as bad it can get as he took the life of a baby.
With that, Judge Hall sentenced Miller to the maximum sentence of 65 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended.
Special Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tami Napier stated that she was pleased with the outcome of the case. She explained that Miller pleading guilty in the case was deemed a mitigating factor as a murder suspect typically goes through the process of a trial.
Napier said, “The burden at all times is on the State of Indiana to prove each and every element of every crime charged,” “Defendants never have a burden to do anything, so when they do step forward and accept responsibility it is a mitigator. It spared the family from going through the stress of a trial, in addition to the stress of losing a baby at the hands of someone who was taking care of her.”
She also noted that the jurisdiction of the case was determined as Lain’s body was recovered in Starke County.
