Making a Serial Killer - Season 1, Episode 1 - Don Miller and the Sibling Survivors - Full Episode | Forensic Files

[EERIE MUSIC] My first impression of him was a nice clean cut guy. KEN OUELLETTE (VOICEOVER): We crossed paths twice.
We were both in music at the high school. I played the trumpet and he played the trombone.
And he says, I was wondering, is your dad home? And I'm like, no. DENISE KEENA BARNES (VOICEOVER): I saw his mannerism,
his look, his intensity. Then it became aware that this guy is dangerous. At that point, he reached around me and put a knife right
to my neck and said be quiet. When he looked me in the eye and said I'm not gonna hurt you, I believed him.
When I found out that he was a serial killer was when I was in the hospital. [THEME MUSIC]
Back in 1978, four women came up missing in the Lansing area, near the Michigan State University campus.
There was a genuine concern and a palpable fear in the mid-Michigan area. KEN OUELLETTE (VOICEOVER): These women
just absolutely disappeared. You know, how many more are going to disappear? And is this a serial killer?
The women, they were scared. They didn't wanna go out. They almost thought, you know, who's gonna be next?
I don't wanna be the next one. I was getting ready to call my stepmom, because, every day,
we called her when we got up. And then, we called her at 3:00 in the afternoon to check in,
basically, to make sure that everything was OK. My brother, Randy, went out back fishing in the pond.
RANDY GILBERT (VOICEOVER): I should've been home with Lisa, but I was just out doing my thing, just playing.
And something-- something just told me, go home. It's time to go home. LISA ASHER: I went outside the garage door
and went around-- out the garage and around the house to call Randy. And then there was a car in the driveway.
And there, when I walked through the garage, a gentleman was coming out of our back door,
out of the kitchen area. And I said, can I help you? He says, yeah. He says, I was wondering, is your dad home?
And I'm like, no. He's at work. And he's like, can I get a phone number to get a hold of him?
And I'm thinking, OK, this has to do with something in repairing for the home. He didn't look like he was a mean person.
So I said, yes, just a minute. And I went back into the house and went to the kitchen, the drawer that we had paper and pencils.
When-- I did not know he was behind me, came in behind me. And then, at that point, he reached
around me and put a knife right to my neck and said be quiet. And-- and you won't get hurt.
And then, he proceeded to walk me into my parents' bedroom, which was on the same floor, and proceeded to take
all my clothes off and rape me. He also did fondling, a few other things, and then proceeded to take the belt from my shorts
and choke me. And that belt broke. And then, after that, he was using his hands and trying to choke me.
I got to the point where I was blacked out and starting to see stars. And then, my brother walked in.
When he did, he went and left me and went to my brother. So I just walked into the house, like normal.
And it was eerie quiet in there. I di-- I didn't hear anybody. I didn't know where anybody was.
And I see a guy walking out of my father's bedroom. And I think he said something like how are you?
Or whatever as he's walking towards me. And I'm just-- I'm-- I'm just standing there.
And then, when he got close enough to me, he-- he grabbed me and-- from behind, and he put a knife to my throat.
He said, just be quiet. I'm not gonna hurt you. Where's your bedroom? And then, you know, scared, not knowing what to do,
I com-- you know, I said my bedroom's upstairs. He was very calm and quiet and--
and that's-- that's probably what threw me off most. You know, he wasn't-- he didn't rush me.
He didn't-- you know, he spoke very softly. He wasn't a scary-looking guy. You know, he wasn't that big.
But to me, you know, being a 13-year-old boy, he was bigger. But he wasn't intimidating at all.
We walked up the stairs, still with a knife to my throat, still holding me. Boom.
There we-- you know, we stepped into my bedroom and he put me down on the floor, face first.
And he sat on my back. And I had one arm behind my back. And at that point, he started cutting my neck.
He started slicing my throat. Here's where the struggle starts. You know, here's where--
I gotta do something here, you know? I gotta fight back. I heard my brother scream.
So at that time, I did not know where he was, what he was doing. RANDY GILBERT: I thought I would play dead, get him to run away,
because I thought he was gonna kill me. NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Lisa was planning how
she could escape and get help. I had a tie-- necktie around my neck, because he had put knee highs in my mouth to muzzle me and then
tied a necktie around my mouth. So I was still-- and I went to the front door and I unlocked the front door,
with my hands behind my back. And then, proceeded to just run out in the street,
with no clothes on, blood coming from my nose, my arms and my hands still tied. So I jumped in front of a car.
I told him that somebody was inside trying to kill my brother. I was able to get the knife away at that time,
but the stab wounds, I took two to the chest. One had punctured a lung and the doctors say that the other stab
wound actually was close enough to my heart that it barely scratched it. What I think if my brother didn't come home
is I wouldn't be here right now. NARRATOR: Having stabbed her brother Randy in the neck
and chest and strangled him unconscious, the attacker leaves him for dead and flees the scene.
When he walked outside, he was cool, calm, and collected. He casually walked out of Randy and Lisa's house,
spoke to the first individual who showed up, who had just seen Lisa running down
the street, naked and gagged, and he acted like nothing had happened and then drove away.
RANDY GILBERT (VOICEOVER): I became unconscious. Next thing I remember, there was an awful lot
of blood coming out. I panicked. I remember we used to have a telephone. Upstairs was my bedroom and Lisa's bedroom
and a full bath between us. And in that bathroom, we had a telephone. I remember going for that.
And I picked up. Nothing was there. I remember trying to dial, I think back then, just 00--
anything. I probably was hitting a million buttons. I don't know, but I was getting nothing.
So I thought, I gotta get out of here. This is where-- where it happened. That's the front door that I collapsed in.
And that-- at that moment, is when I also saw, out of the corner of my eye, leaving in his car.
And he drove around. That big rock wasn't there at the time. But the driveway was still designed that way.
And he drove across the lawn and came out through the ditch and headed that way.
Next thing I remember, I hear sirens and police cars and ambulance coming. DAVE BANKHEAD (VOICEOVER): I was working a one-man patrol
car in Delta Township. I was about two miles from the location that they gave me.
So I immediately turned my car around and started heading towards the response on Canal Road.
It was absolute chaos when I arrived. There was a man walking in a circular motion
in the driveway, the chief. He said, I want you to look at this young lady. And I did.
I could see that she had been assaulted. Her face was a-- a beet red color, much more so than it should be,
as if someone had probably tried to strangle her. And her eyes were bloodshot to the extreme.
And her hands were still bound with what appeared to be, perhaps, nylon stockings.
LISA ASHER: You know, I was just upset, very upset and just, like, freaking out.
And he's like-- my-- my brother's dying. My brother's dying. You know? At that time, I could see Randy half in and half out
of the front doorway of the residence, bleeding profusely. And I bolted to the door where Randy was laying.
I was fearful that he might not live very long. His upper body was covered with blood.
I remember lifting my head and opening my eyes. And I'm-- I'm covered in blood. And I jumped up and then-- and I looked down
and I could see blood just gushing from my chest. And before I knew it, before I left in the ambulance,
this street was police cars from our house almost all the way down to the pond, that I can remember.
LISA ASHER: And then, finally, they put them in the ambulance. And he's like, sister I'm OK.
I'm OK. I'm OK. And then, I just kind of, like, you know, relief. And we both went to the hospital.
DAVE BANKHEAD: We secured the scene. At that point in time, I passed the gentleman.
He was walking in a circle, repeating this license plate number. So I quickly copied that down from him.
I went back to my patrol car and ran the license plate number on the vehicle. The registration came back to a Donald G. Miller.
At that time, the dispatcher came on and he said, do you realize who you're dealing with there?
I said, no. NARRATOR: They were dealing with Don Miller, a young man already suspected of murder.
When I heard what happened to Lisa and Randy, I drew, in my mind, the conclusion
that Don Miller was a predator. NARRATOR: Don Miller is not sociable. He is inconspicuous at high school,
preferring to spend his time at Lansing Methodist Church, where his family are dedicated worshippers.
And it's here, where a pretty college student devoutly prays and where Miller would tell his friends
he'd met his soulmate, Martha Sue Young. BRIAN FREDERICK: Miller meets this girl.
She attends the same church. So they share the same beliefs. Miller's beliefs, it seems, were a bit more devout
than this girl that he was attracted to, that he saw as his perfect mate. Don, basically, fell in love.
They spent a lot of time together. Most of the time, when they went out, it was to prayer meetings.
They didn't go to movies. They didn't do-- go dancing or anything like that. NARRATOR: An entry in a friend's yearbook
reveals the disturbing train of Miller's thoughts when it came to women. Miller proposed to Martha.
Two weeks after accepting his proposal, Martha cancels the engagement. BRIAN FREDERICK: Martha Sue Young is a friend
of Miller's younger sister. He proposes to her and she accepts. Now, what we know about stressful events in life,
right, marriage is a stressful event. So she accepts his proposal, but then turns around and rejects him.
Outwardly, Miller is accepting of-- of her-- her not wanting to get married. In fact, he tells her to keep the ring as a gift.
He told her that she could keep the engagement ring, because they were still friends.
On New Year's Eve of 1976, Martha had a babysitting job that she had to do. And Don asked if he could go along with her.
And they did. They went and babysat. They went back to Don's house. Don lived with his parents in East Lansing.
And when they got back to the house, they watched a movie. They had some pizza and pop.
And then, at about 11:30, Don left with Martha to take her home. And Martha never made it home.
NARRATOR: It was the first day of 1977. And Martha Sue Young's mother, Sue, was about to discover her daughter was missing
and to suspect Don Miller. Sue Young woke up on New Year's Day, 1977, and went to Martha's bedroom and saw that her bed had not
been slept in and she panicked. She contacted the Miller family immediately. My first involvement was on January 1,
1977, New Year's Day. Somewhere shortly after 7:00, I was assigned to the road patrol.
And I had my gear and I was just getting ready to walk out to the patrol car and the front desk phone rang.
And on the other end, there was an individual that said "Ken-- Ken, this is Gene, Gene Miller."
I said, hi, Gene, because I had known him from before. And I said, well, what's-- what's going on?
And he goes Martha's gone. And I had no idea who Martha was at that time. And I said, well, who's Martha?
And he goes Well-- well, Donny's girlfriend. She had just, apparently, disappeared.
We realized that something just wasn't right. It was kind of a gut feeling. They lived about-- about a mile apart.
And they were very religious, both families. And it just didn't seem quite right
that there was no legitimate reason for Martha not showing up. NARRATOR: Detectives brought Miller in for questioning,
where he underwent a polygraph test, even failed it, but they did not immediately suspect him.
KEN OUELLETTE (VOICEOVER): He was very calm, very willing to help. He was not evasive in any way.
He never said the word no, as far as cooperation. In fact, he was quite the opposite.
I'll never forget it. It's like, you know, Don, do you wanna get something to eat?
Do you wanna get something to drink? And he'd say, oh, no. No. He said, I-- I just wanna help you find Martha.
And of course, later, I found that, when I interrogated him and interviewed him, he had murdered his girlfriend,
you know, some six or seven hours before that. I-- it was-- it was hard to believe
that somebody could do that. NARRATOR: During the first investigation into Don Miller,
investigators, including rookie, Ken Ouellette, get permission to search Miller's
car, a distinctive chocolate brown Cutlass. And something immediately grabs their attention.
KEN OUELLETTE (VOICEOVER): And there was what appeared to be a mild bloodstain in the middle
of the front seat. So that was certainly concerning. And then, on the right side, the passenger side door panel,
on the inside, I could see, it looked like maybe a foot had scraped itself across the door.
ROD SADLER (VOICEOVER): He first said that he might've had a bloody nose. And he had taken a polygraph test.
But he eventually changed his story and said that the blood could have been caused by Martha
Sue menstruating when they were out, because they had engaged in some foreplay. And if she was menstruating, that could've
caused the blood to be there. KEN OUELLETTE (VOICEOVER): No longer did one and one equal
two. 1 and 1 now equaled three or four. And there were things that just didn't add up
as we were building the case. NARRATOR: Ouellette suspects foul play. But his team of detectives are missing
one crucial piece of evidence. KEN OUELLETTE (VOICEOVER): We didn't know where the body was.
We contacted Lansing Police Department, who had a helicopter unit. And we asked for their assistance.
And I went up in a helicopter. And we searched an area. And there was absolutely no doubt in my mind
that the areas that we searched, she was not at. There was no doubt, because of the recent snow.
I mean, we could see animal tracks. We could see car tracks. And there was absolutely no doubt
that, had she been in that area, we would've located her. Looking back, if we would've just expanded
the search another couple of miles, literally, no doubt in my mind, we would have found her clothes
and we would've found her body. You know, he would definitely have been on the radar
and could have possibly prevented or would have prevented three additional homicides
and the egregious assault and attempted murder out in Delta Township. NARRATOR: But the extra miles were not scoured.
So Donald Miller remained a free man. Don Miller certainly believed that he got away with murder.
And that became evident, as time went on, when he began taking more chances. There's no doubt in my mind.
NARRATOR: The trail goes cold. Martha's family offers a huge reward for information,
but the lines remain quiet. Three months later, Martha's mother receives a bouquet of flowers.
The bouquet reads "Martha was a rose, Don Miller." Well in retrospect, he was an absolute cold-blooded,
ruthless murderer. And he had no conscience. NARRATOR: On October 22nd of the same year,
two pheasant hunters come across a set of women's clothes. They are neatly laid out with the undergarments inside
of the outer clothes. Nearby, they find a purse and, inside, Martha's MSU identification card.
But there's no body and nothing linking Miller. So he was free to kill again. They couldn't connect the dots that were
necessary to get a warrant. NARRATOR: But in the months that immediately followed Martha's
disappearance, Martha Sue was officially missing and Don Miller was free. But his license plate number was recognized
by pedestrians outside of the home of Lisa and Randy. But can he be connected to the disappearance of four women?
As cops chase down Don Miller after his attack on Lisa and Randy, they are also investigating the disappearance
of three other women. It was 17 months after Martha Sue Young went missing, with Don Miller a suspect, when another young woman went
missing. ROD SADLER (VOICEOVER): Marita Choquette was an employee at Michigan State University.
She was working at WKAR, the public broadcasting radio station on campus. She actually lived in a small town called Grand Ledge.
And her father called the Grand Ledge Police Department and asked them to check her apartment,
see if-- if she was there. And they began the initial missing person investigation.
NARRATOR: Don Miller lived a 10-minute drive from the University radio station. And Marita knew Don Miller.
She is a divorcee with a tangled love life. ROD SADLER (VOICEOVER): She had been married at one point
and divorced. Her and her husband had different ideas about what they wanted to do in life.
And so Marita was-- was looking for a relationship with a man. NARRATOR: The couple meets at church, Don Miller's
favorite pickup location. BRIAN FREDERICK (VOICEOVER): Marita is the daughter of a reverend.
How much more devout can you get, than to have the daughter of a reverend as your wife?
This appeals to Miller. NARRATOR: After Marita's disappearance, a search turns up nothing.
But two weeks later, a discovery at a patch of woods on a farm, the body of Marita Choquette
is found, buried under concrete slabs that were used to build a farm silo. ROD SADLER: She was partially nude.
She had been stabbed 19 times. At the time, the police thought that it could be some sort of a ritualistic murder, the fact
that her hands had been severed and they were, literally, in sort of a praying position, if you will,
like this. BRIAN FREDERICK: This is the daughter of a reverend, not seeing his devoutness.
Not only does he murder her, he removes her hands and puts them in a praying position.
This is indicative of Methodist Church's belief in sanctification. He could've been trying to sanctify her, drive
the evil spirit out of her body and put her in a penitent position, so that she would be forgiven
for doing what she did to him. NARRATOR: Was this perverse interpretation of religion driving Don Miller?
Marita's father was the church pastor. He arrived on the scene. He sees the hands and a body that seem to have been kneeling
and what looks like an altar. The cleric tells police this could be the work of a serial killer.
ROD SADLER (VOICEOVER): He described the person as being a very religious person,
with an intense rage for women. And he was surprisingly close to describing Don Miller.
NARRATOR: The same day Marita's body is found, back at MSU, University employee Wendy Bush has just finished her shift
at the college cafeteria. She is met by a handsome stranger. His name Don Miller.
He offers her a ride home and she is never seen again. ROD SADLER (VOICEOVER): Wendy Bush was sort
of a free spirit on campus. She could talk to anybody. She didn't show up for work one day.
And so her supervisor called the Michigan State University Police. And they took a Missing Person Report
and they began to check into her disappearance. They thought she might've just left campus,
because of Wendy's personality. The interesting thing about Wendy Bush's disappearance
is that she was epileptic. And she didn't take her medication or any of her belongings from her dorm.
So while they were convinced that she was a missing person, they weren't sure that it was related
to any type of foul play. NARRATOR: Two months later, another woman disappears, Kristine Stuart.
Police Officer Denise Keena Barnes was new to the job in 1977. DENISE KEENA BARNES (VOICEOVER): I
was a brand new police officer in Eaton County in September of 1977. I had just been hired.
And then, in summer of '78, I was working patrol in Delta Township. And I heard about the Kristine Stuart missing person.
And that's all we knew at the time was the missing person. Kristine Stuart was a teacher at Lansing's Everett High
School. She was loved by all of her students. She lived in the East Lansing area with her husband.
And about two months after Wendy Bush disappeared, she had to take her sports car to Lansing
to get some repairs done on it. And she had told her husband she was gonna drop her car off
in Downtown Lansing. She would take a bus back to a shopping center near Lansing called Frandor.
And then, she would walk the mile or so up to their home. Her husband left that morning.
She was still in bed. And when he came home that night, she wasn't there. And he called the East Lansing Police Department
to report her missing. And that's when the official report and the official investigation into her disappearance began.
NARRATOR: Discoveries were soon made at the last known place she has been seen. ROD SADLER (VOICEOVER): They found her glasses in the grass.
There was a skid in the roadway. They weren't sure if that was related or not. They certainly suspected foul play right off the bat.
DOUG LLOYD (VOICEOVER): It changed the landscape of the Lansing area. Kids were no longer allowed to just go ride their bikes
or walk around the neighborhoods. The parents were on high alert. People were on high alert.
They had no idea how or why these women were coming up missing. NARRATOR: At the time, the missing women's cases
were not linked to any potential serial killer. The job given to the young Officer Barnes
was not to help find a serial killer. The possibility that such a person was on the loose
was not on the investigative agenda as the search was on for Kristine. Kristine Stuart, from what I understand though,
was a coincidence. NARRATOR: Inquiries did turn up a witness. So this is the intersection of Wolf Court and Coolidge.
And Kristine Stuart was walking along Coolidge when she turned onto Fair Oaks. But there was a witness.
And she turned onto Coolidge. And a car turned in front of her. So she had to lock up her brakes.
And she looked over and she saw a man and a woman arguing. And then, she saw the man thrust a knife
three times into the woman as they wrestled inside the car. And as it turns out, it was Don Miller
murdering Kristine Stuart. NARRATOR: But investigators did not discover that for some time to come.
Having killed Kristine Stuart, Miller lets two days go by and then attacks again, this time
at the home of Lisa and Randy. The attack on Lisa was days after he disposed of Kristine Stuart's body in Delta Township.
And I believe that him passing by and seeing Lisa Gilbert out in front, or coming around the corner,
he took the opportunity. The opportunity was there. If Randy had not come home that day,
Lisa became victim number five. NARRATOR: Donald Miller had now claimed the lives of four women.
Two weeks after claiming the life of Kristine Stuart, he attacks again. This time, Lisa is in his sights.
Randy was a victim too of an attack that has left him scarred in many ways. I tried my best to put it into words.
But you know, this-- it's more horrific than-- than I can ever explain. Randy and I are--
we have a bond, a special bond. Like I said, there-- doesn't a day go by. You know, I've got physical scars.
You know? I see them every single day. I get, you know, memories that come back every single day.
There's-- you know, you can't shut it off. He takes it hard. He used to keep it bottled up inside him.
You just-- I just-- I'm learning to deal with it. He's finally coming out and being comfortable
with discussing things. And I'm proud of him. I'm proud of who he's become since this.
NARRATOR: Don Miller had fled the scene of his latest brutal attacks. A witness has memorized his license plate.
So detectives swiftly move on Don Miller. And as soon as that information was sent via radio
to all of the police agencies in the mid-Michigan area, the East Lansing Police already knew where Miller lived.
And Don Miller was arrested two hours after he raped Lisa Gilbert. It really didn't surprise anybody.
And it was like, we finally got them. NARRATOR: After 18 months of terror, Donald Miller is in custody.
Detectives don't know it yet, but they have arrested a serial killer. Miller is charged with the rape and attempted
murder of Lisa Gilbert and the attempted murder of her brother Randy. But can he be connected to the disappearance of four women?
Four detectives, a challenge. Arrested for the attacks on Lisa and Randy, suspected in relation to the still missing Martha Sue Young,
was Don Miller responsible for three other women going missing? Marita Choquette, Wendy Bush, and Kristine Stuart.
Detectives began to delve into the past to understand what drove Donald Miller. Miller was raised in a family that's described as devout.
They attended Central Methodist Church. He cut himself off from society. He preferred to be at home with his family.
He saw himself as being devout in his faith, in his religion. NARRATOR: Donald Eugene Miller was born December 28th,
1954, the eldest of three children to Christian religious parents. In an interview in 1994, digitally
restored and never heard before, Don Miller told detectives about his parents. KEN OUELLETTE (VOICEOVER): Don and I were-- we crossed paths
twice, two different times. We were both in music at the high school. I played the trumpet and he played the trombone.
I was a senior and he was a freshman. I would describe him as very introverted, nondescript, very mundane.
And I think a way to sum it up would be, probably, socially awkward. NARRATOR: Miller appeared most comfortable at his church.
He became a youth minister. He also began showing signs of a warped sexuality. Don Miller was sexually repressed, I would say.
NARRATOR: And that's not all. ROD SADLER (VOICEOVER): Don Miller had an incestuous relationship with one of his sisters.
And that went on, until the point when she brought it to her mother's attention and her mother put a stop to it.
So that would've been in Don Miller's early teen years. RANDY GILBERT (VOICEOVER): You know, he looked like the boy
next door, as they say. You know? He didn't look like a criminal. He didn't look like a serial killer.
One minute, he's super nice. Next thing you know, whack. You know what I mean? He's off-- off the walls, killing somebody,
you know, strangling somebody, raping somebody. NARRATOR: Immediately after his arrest,
Miller is charged with the rape and attempted murder of Lisa Gilbert and the attempted
murder of her brother Randy. He is not charged in relation to the missing women.
And I remember looking at Don Miller through the whole trial, watching him. And he always had that--
just the real, almost a victim look. And when everybody left the courtroom and he turned around to look at the back door of the courtroom
and I saw his mannerism, his look, his intensity. And then, it became aware that this guy is dangerous.
He's gonna do what it takes to get out. NARRATOR: The jury finds him guilty and Donald Miller is jailed for 30 to 50 years for the rape
and attempted murders of Lisa and Randy. What of the four missing women? ROD SADLER: Don Miller denied anything
to do with these crimes when he was arrested. He hid behind his religion. He said, how could it be me?
There's no way it could be me. I'm a Christian. There's no way I would ever do this.
NARRATOR: At his house, police have found items linking him to all the missing and murdered women, including
the engagement ring he gave to Martha Sue Young and a pair of handcuffs stained with blood.
Miller will say nothing until a deal is out on the table. He offered to reveal the locations of the bodies,
if he was allowed to plead guilty only to manslaughter to two of the killings. In return, he wants a lenient sentence of 10 to 15 years.
That sentence has to be served concurrently, with the term for rape and attempted murder,
no extra years inside. The deal was accepted. And so he gave the victims back to their families,
after he had just left them, you know, basically, alone, dead in a park. NARRATOR: In a letter from his prison cell,
never before seen on TV, Miller accepts he did wrongfully take the life of Martha Sue Young,
but says he is the one in pain. ROD SADLER: Don Miller never took Martha Sue home.
They went out. And by his own account, they tried talking, but she refused to talk about their problems.
And so he ended up strangling her. At that point, he had to do something with the body.
And so he took her body about a mile or two away, maybe three miles, to a park and left her body there.
We're here at Priggooris Park in Bath Township, north of Lansing. And this is where Martha Sue Young's body was found.
He took a team of investigators and led them to Martha Sue Young's skeleton. And he said, "She's down there," just nonchalantly.
As the investigators went down that trail, he bent down, picked up a-- a little wild flower and kinda began singing to himself.
He gives excuses as to why he got to the way he was, that he-- he victimizes the victims.
He-- he blames them for his crimes. He didn't actually do anything wrong. NARRATOR: A few days later, Miller also led police
to the badly decomposed bodies of Wendy Bush and Kristine Stuart. ROD SADLER: Wendy Bush's remains were skeletonized also.
She'd only been out here two months. And she was completely skeletonized when they found her.
Kids were playing within 20 feet of her body and didn't even realize it. DOUG LLOYD: I think they all knew that Don
Miller was the one responsible. They didn't even have all the bodies at that time.
And so they were trying to prosecute a case without actual bodies. And so it was a way to bring closure.
For Don Miller, it was a way to manipulate the system, for him to manage to commit 4 murders for 10 years.
That was him using the knowledge that he had. And to be honest, I'm sure at that time
that they thought 30 to 50 years seemed like forever. And for a lot of the attorneys that
were involved in that case, they're now retired. So for them, it was forever. Randy and Lisa were 13 and 14.
So for them, 40 years later isn't really forever. NARRATOR: Miller was eligible for parole by the '90s.
But as the possible release date approached in 1994, prison staff discovered Miller had
a strangulation device in a cell at Kinross Correctional Facility. The theory was that he was going to use that on one
of the female prison officers that had, I think, written him a-- a ticket in prison.
NARRATOR: With this information, Miller's sentence was extended another 20 to 40 years.
He has already served his time for the deaths of Martha Sue Young and Kristine Stuart in the rape
and attempted murder of the Gilberts. The only reason that he is still in prison
is because he possessed that strangulation device and he got caught. NARRATOR: Despite being refused parole in 2021, by 2031,
the deal Miller got after his crimes means there will be nothing to stop Miller from being released.
Do I know that this is an individual who should not be out on the streets? Yes, I do.
For the protection of our community, this is an individual who needs to stay in prison.
ROD SADLER: Do I think Don Miller should ever be released from prison? No. Absolutely not.
But Don Miller will be released in 2031. Growing up as a young teenager, I thought--
it felt like he was put away forever. But that time's gone by. And he's still dangerous.
He's still gonna be dangerous in 10 years. There is not enough help in this world to, you know,
make him re-- rehabilitated. He never will be. I am a survivor and I can still survive,
whether he's out or in, but I'm gonna be scared. Of course. And so I feel that he is not finished,
that he will come looking. An inmate back when he was first captured and said I should've finished that boy.
I wouldn't have gotten caught. And to me-- that tells me, he's not finished. I just wanna send a message to Mr. Miller,
if he ever thinks he's not finished and-- and he thinks he's going to come after me again,
he needs to know I'm prepared. NARRATOR: With Miller locked up, the question remained.
Why had he done it? Killed four women, raped a fifth, and tried to kill her and her brother.
DOUG LLOYD: I believe that the first one, potentially, was one of just anger. The next three, those were a desire that he was fulfilling.
And then, when he capitalized on it, he realized, I really enjoy this. ROD SADLER: He had an intense hatred for women.
That boiled over to a point where, once he took the life of his fiancee, he continued that, as he described
it, as copycat murders. He would see a woman that reminded him of his fiancee. And he would take her life.
NARRATOR: The reason Miller was stopped from killing others was because of Lisa and her brother, who would've become
victims five and six, teenagers who survived to enjoy a full life. Randy became a school bus driver, as well
as a volunteer police officer. Lisa moved to California 22 years ago, but is back in Michigan to help fight to keep Miller in prison.
For this program, the siblings returned, visiting the house and the neighborhood
where they face their ordeal. This place is so beautiful when it-- in the fall. It's like beaut-- it's just beyond beautiful.
It has all the different colors. Even though horrible things have happened here--
Oh, yeah, yeah. --and still get drawn to come back and-- Yeah. --take care of everyone, if I can.
But you know what, Brother? You know, you-- we gotta-- we gotta look at it this way.
Yes, it was a traumatic time for us. We got through it. We had each other. We have each other.
We-- we need-- you know, like a lot of people say, we do need to look at it as we are heroes.
We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for each other. You know? Oh, look at all these engravings.
We can put in there, "We are survivors." We are, you know-- but, you know, I mean,
you gotta look-- you say you don't think that you're a hero, but we're a hero to stop him.
And hopefully, stopped him for good to not harm anybody else. But we will continue being strong.
At least we know we have each other to do-- to fight this battle. Are you gonna let me speak?
Yeah. No. Oh. - Yeah. - I love you. I love you too. [BITTERSWEET MUSIC] [CREDITS SONG]

In 1978, two siblings narrowly survive a home invasion attack and are shocked to learn that the culprit is a serial killer with a long list of victims.

A true crime series that focuses on what makes killers do what they do, taking insights from scientific experts, detectives and survivors.

Brief Summary

Donald Miller's violent crimes against women in the 1970s are detailed, highlighting survivor stories and the investigation that led to his arrest.

Key points

A Dangerous Encounter. Denise Keena Barnes recalls the moment she realized the man was dangerous.
The Attack. Lisa Asher describes the horrifying moment she was attacked in her home.
The Aftermath. Lisa and her brother Randy struggle for survival after the attack.
Discovery of Marita Choquette. The body of Marita Choquette is found, revealing a brutal murder.
Wendy Bush Disappears. Wendy Bush, a university employee, is last seen with Don Miller.
The Disappearance of Kristine Stuart. Kristine Stuart, a beloved teacher, goes missing under mysterious circumstances.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I don't wanna be the next one.

Women in the area express their fear of being targeted.

2:12WatchJul 29, 2022

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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