Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - A 21-year-old Missoula man, identified in the Missoula County Jail Roster as Miles Miller, is in the Missoula County Detention Center and has been charged with the murder of his 68-year-old mother that occurred over the Mother’s Day weekend.

On May 15, 2023, KGVO News spoke to Chief Deputy County Attorney Matt Jennings from the Missoula County Attorney's Office. He provided all the details that are currently available in the murder investigation.

Police have been Investigating the Homicide Since Saturday Morning

“Missoula police have been working around the clock since about noon on Saturday investigating a suspicious death which is being treated as a homicide at the moment,” began Jennings. “We're still working on the investigation and getting reports together but it is being reviewed for a homicide and tampering with physical evidence after the death of a woman was reported around noon on Saturday, and the suspect is her son. He's in custody right now for those charges and we've been working closely with police to make sure that we have all the facts straight and that we can demonstrate probable cause and that we look at all aspects of the investigation, but we are currently moving forward on charges which should be filed in a couple hours.”

Jennings provided more details gleaned from the deliberate homicide investigation.

Jennings Described how the System Protects the Rights of the Accused

“The suspect's name is Miles Miller, and that is public information,” he said. “I would say that as of this point, he has not been charged, and that means that no judge has reviewed the charging documents. That is one of the checks and balances that we have in our system. So, the police investigate, and we, of course, review and decide on those charges. But we don't get to move forward with anything until the judge says that we can, and that has not happened. Of course, we have a system where people are innocent until they're proven guilty, and that currently is his status. The investigation is ongoing. Obviously, there's a death of a human in our community and we take that incredibly seriously but we also take very seriously charges of homicide against another person.”

Jennings said the legal system provides protections for accused persons to ensure they receive a fair trial after being charged with a capital crime.

“We need to have a finding of probable cause by a neutral judge within 48 hours of an arrest, and so we've got about eight more hours to get that done,” he said. “However, there is a little bit more time before somebody actually needs to be seen by a judge in court, so when this person goes before a judge, assuming that there's probable cause, it depends on that judges schedule and when they set them. It won't be today, but it would be probably Tuesday through Thursday this week, depending on which judge it goes to.”

Jennings Described the Possible Penalties for the Accused

Jennings, who has prosecuted several capital cases, explained the possible penalties should Miles Miller be found guilty of killing his mother.

“The penalties in Montana go up to life in prison, and that can be with parole or without parole,” he said. “Somebody that has an opportunity to get parole could hypothetically be paroled after serving 30 years of a life sentence. Sometimes judges have a parole restriction in that you can't get parole for a certain period of time, at least several decades, or life without parole would mean what it says that you have to actually spend the rest of your life in prison.”

The investigation began when Miller called the Missoula Police Department to report that his mother was unconscious in her residence.

On May 16, 2023, KGVO received the charging documents for Miller. He is currently being charged with felony deliberate homicide and felony tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Miller's case was filed directly to District Court and a $2 million bond was requested.

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