STEUBENVILLE - A man suspected in the slaying of his father appeared in court Monday and was arraigned on theft charges, with Jefferson County Prosecutor Thomas Straus saying he is not yet prepared to charge Travis Miller, 27, with murder.
Miller, whose last stated address was in Arizona, was taken into custody last Thursday in Tennessee after the body of his father, Shelby F. Miller, 56, Boyce Street, East Liverpool, was found on the banks of Yellow Creek just off state Route 213.
The elder Miller had been shot once in the back of the head, and the county coroner's office has also said he suffered other injuries, although none that contributed to his death.
In the Jefferson County Justice Center Monday afternoon, Travis Miller was arraigned for the theft of his father's truck and credit cards, with Wintersville District Court Judge Mike Bednar presiding.
Miller waived reading of the charges and responded, "Yes, sir," to all questions asked by Judge Bednar.
When asked if he is employed or if he has any income, Miller replied, "No, sir, I do not. I was working at Giant Eagle, but needless to say, sir, child support was taking all my funds."
Attorney Steve Lamatrice was appointed to represent Miller, and bond was set at $250,000, with Bednar indicating Miller will also be appearing in District I Court today in Toronto.
And, while county Sheriff Fred Abdalla had said last Friday it was "likely" the younger Miller will be charged with homicide, no warrants or charges to that effect have been issued, according to county Prosecutor Thomas Straus.
"There are still some loose ends to try and pin down," Straus said, adding that Abdalla "did a very thorough job of pinning this stuff down."
Nonetheless, Straus said, "Fred would like murder charges to be filed today, but I'm not prepared to do that today," and declined to confirm what, if any, additional charges will be filed.
Straus said some evidence has been sent to a lab for analysis and "those wheels turn slowly." He said he wants to see the results of the Ohio Bureau of Identification and Investigation's analysis.
Wearing the typical orange county jail jumpsuit, Miller was escorted into the courtroom by Abdalla, who traveled to Tennessee Saturday with deputies and BCII agents to question the suspect.
Traveling all day Sunday, they returned Miller to Jefferson County, along with his father's truck.
As Miller began to address the judge, Abdalla abruptly ordered him to "stand up," but said prior to the hearing he had had no problems with Miller on the 500-mile trip from Tennessee.
"He was a perfect gentleman, very respectful. We talked all the way back," Abdalla said, noting Miller had served four years in the U.S. Air Force.
In July, East Liverpool police said Shelby Miller reported his son was screaming at him and threatening to beat him up. He told police at that time his son had just returned from the military and was "having a hard time."
Prior to Miller's arraignment yesterday, Abdalla said the trip to pick up the suspect was "well worth it" and "successful."
He said he still has some evidence to present to the prosecutor and said a shotgun that had been in the elder Miller's truck was recovered after Travis Miller reportedly gave it to some friends in Tennessee.
"It was an old gun owned by his father," Abdalla said.
Weather permitting, plans today include searching Yellow Creek near where Shelby Miller's body was found for the small-caliber gun used to kill him. Boats, cameras and a special magnet are expected to be used, but Abdalla said if the water is murky, the operation will be canceled to prevent wasting time and money needlessly.
The suspect has not indicated he knows the whereabouts of the gun, according to Abdalla, who said, "He had 500 miles to throw it away. He didn't tell us it was there."
Shelby Miller was reported missing Wednesday to East Liverpool police by his daughter, who said her brother, Travis Miller, assured her everything was all right and that he and their father were en route to South Carolina.
Her father's body was found Thursday night after she received a photograph on her cell phone from her brother holding a catfish.
Some friends said they knew her father's favorite fishing spots, and his body was found several feet from the water in a copse of trees, where weeds had been pulled out to cover him, officials reported.
