ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Johnnie Dee Miller, found guilty Thursday by a Taylor County jury for the murder of Aaron Howard, was sentenced Friday to spend 14 years in prison without fine.
In the September 2018 shooting death of Aaron Howard allegedly over a box spring between the alleyway neighbors, both Johnnie Dee Miller and his son, Michael were tried.
Trial finally got underway Tuesday, January 23. After only two days of emotional testimony, both state and defense rested Thursday morning. By Thursday night, a Taylor County jury found only Johnnie Dee Miller to be guilty in Howard’s death.
At Miller’s sentencing hearing, five loved ones of Howard’s were present, including his former fiancé, Kara Box.
Johnnie Dee Miller’s defense attorney, Justin Sparks, asked Box about Howard’s ‘other side.’
“Aaron could be aggressive, but it wasn’t him,” Box answered, reiterating that she remembers Howard as a good man.
Box continued, “He was a partner… Absolutely everything about your life changes.”
Since watching – and recording – her love being shot to death, Box explained to the court that she developed PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder), “I wake up screaming, sometimes, in the middle of the night.”
Box also mentioned that Howard now has a grandchild he’s never gotten to meet.
Tim Howard, Aaron’s son, also took the stand at Miller’s sentencing hearing. He told the court that at around the time of his father’s death, their relationship was being repaired. He told an account about how Aaron was working on his health, and making amends with the people he may have hurt.
KTAB/KRBC counted 16 supporters of Miller at this hearing.
Addressing the jurors, Laurie Miller, Johnnie Dee’s wife and Michael’s mother, said she just wanted her husband to make it out of prison alive so that they can be together in their older years.
Before dismissing the jury to deliberate on a punishment for Miller, Judge Thomas Wheeler reminded the 12 that they may advise that Johnnie Dee receive no fewer than five years and no more than a life sentence. He reminded them that they would need to decide if he should get parole or not, and to keep parole laws in mind.
On behalf of Johnnie Dee, defense apologized to the jurors and gave thanks. He also asked that they’d have compassion in their decision, requesting only five years and tugging at their heartstrings to add that any more than five years and he could die behind bars.
The state attorney, Danny Joiner, reminded jurors that murder always has an obvious victim, but this was a unique case.
“It [murder] affects people like Kara, who lost everything… It affects Tim because he lost his dad. Murder is theft. He [Johnnie Dee Miller] stole Aaron’s life,” Joiner pleaded.
Just before dismissing the jury, Joiner told them that Miller had the ‘luxury’ of having 70+ years with his family on earth, but Howard wouldn’t even get 40 because of a ‘selfish act.’
In Miller’s sentencing hearing, jurors went back into chambers around 9:30 a.m., and by 11:30, they delivered a 14-year sentence without fine. However, there are plans for appeals proceedings.
BigCountryHomepage.com has wrapped up its coverage in the case of Johnnie Dee and Michael Miller in the shooting death of Aaron Howard. Click here for all articles regarding the crime.
