World's Most Evil Killers - Season 6, Episode 15 - Don Miller - Full Episode | Forensic Files

NARRATOR: On the 16th of August, 1978, a man strolled into a house in Eaton County, Michigan and violently
attacked two children in their family home. He sliced the throat of 13-year-old Randy Gilbert
after assaulting Randy's 14-year-old sister, Lisa. LISA ASHER: I've had a fear from day one
and still do that he'll come back and he'll try to find us. NARRATOR: The assailant was 23-year-old Don Miller,
a serial murderer who'd killed his fourth victim just two days before the attack on Lisa Gilbert.
ROD SADLER: After he was done raping her, Don Miller sat on her back and took a small belt
that she had had on her shorts and wrapped it around her throat and began to strangle her.
NARRATOR: Amazingly, both Lisa and Randy managed to survive at the hands of the killer, who
was a respected member of the local church. RICHARD WESTGATE: It never leaves you.
I will never forget this case. I think a lot of people in East Lansing community
never forget this case either. NARRATOR: Don Miller, a supposedly heavenly man with a hellish lust for blood, had
been revealed as one of the world's most evil killers. [music playing] In July 1979, 24-year-old Don Miller
led investigators to the bodies of three of the four women he'd killed. Detectives were only just beginning to learn
about his murderous career. The true extent of Miller's crimes was only revealed after the supposed Christian was arrested
for the attempted murder of 13-year-old Randy Gilbert and the rape and attempted murder of Randy's
14-year-old sister, Lisa. LISA ASHER: My true belief is if you are a true Christian
like he explains that he is, he would have never even thought of doing what he did.
To me that is not a true Christian. And I don't care how long you've gone to church, what you've
done in church, you do not commit the crimes like he committed and be a Christian.
RANDY GILBERT: My sister and I don't even really talk about it to each other. It's just something that I know what happened to her,
she knows what happened to me. I don't deal with it very well. I carry such a guilt of this whole thing
that if I had been home where I was supposed to be, none of this may have happened.
NARRATOR: Miller's story fascinates former local police officer turned author Rod Sadler,
who's written a book all about the quiet but deadly killer. ROD SADLER: Don Miller took the lives of four women.
Don Miller raped a 14-year-old girl and then tried to strangle her and her brother.
Don Miller is a psychopath. NARRATOR: The story of this saint turned sinner begins in East Lansing, Michigan.
Don Miller was born in December 1954. As the oldest of three siblings, he was raised by his churchgoing parents
to be an upright, highly principled young man. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: There isn't anything in his childhood.
He doesn't appear to experience any abuse, any neglect, anything like that that we very commonly see in the backgrounds
of serial killers. He seems to be a God fearing Christian. He seems to be somebody who has that moral high ground.
NARRATOR: After graduating high school, Miller began studying at Michigan State University
in the autumn of 1973 where he would eventually end up taking a course in criminal justice.
At a time of fashion flamboyance, Miller was a square peg in a round hole. GEOFFREY WANSELL: There were no t-shirts
and jeans and free love and he always wore a jacket and tie. He looked incredibly upright.
He looked like a choir boy. ROD SADLER: His hair was slicked back. He carried a trombone with him everywhere that he went
because he was in the band. And that made him unusual, and that made him noticeable,
because he was actually a very non-noticeable type of a person. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: He also didn't
really have many close friends. His sister appeared to be his closest friend. So he was one of those kids who was
really not part of the crowd. He was excluded in away from his peer group. NARRATOR: Despite his social awkwardness, by the winter
of 1976, 21-year-old Miller was engaged to fellow MSU student and churchgoer Martha Sue Young.
ROD SADLER: She was a very outgoing person and Don Miller was essentially a homebody.
And the only place that Don Miller ever took Martha Sue Young would be to prayer groups through the church
that they attended. NARRATOR: But during the holidays, 19-year-old Martha decided to end the engagement,
much to Miller's annoyance. GEOFFREY WANSELL: He feels let down. He feels spurned.
He feels rejected. And he doesn't take rejection well. But nevertheless, he pleads with her for another chance.
And on New Year's Eve 1976, he persuades her to let him go with her to a babysitting
job she's got that night. ROD SADLER: And after they finished babysitting, Don Miller took Martha Sue Young back to his house
and they watched a movie and they had some pizza and pop. And Don said he was going to take Martha Sue Young home.
And they left at about 10:30 or 11 o'clock, and that was the last time that Martha
Sue Young was ever seen alive. NARRATOR: Martha's desperately worried parents call the police.
Detective Richard Westgate was assigned the case. RICHARD WESTGATE: We received a call at the East Lansing Police
Department that Martha Sue Young supposedly never arrived back at her house in East Lansing by the boyfriend's father, Eugene
Miller after Martha Sue Young's mother, Sue Young, had called the Miller house wanting
to know where her daughter Martha Sue Young is. We became involved in that case right after that.
From our conversations with Martha Sue's mother, she felt Don was a very controlling person, controlling
to the point that Martha Sue Young wanted to not be engaged anymore. NARRATOR: Richard's next port of call
was Martha's former partner and the last person to see her before she vanished. RICHARD WESTGATE: Don Miller stated
that he had dropped Martha Sue Young off at her porch step and that she sat down on the porch step
in very, very freezing, frigid temperatures and he drove home. GEOFFREY WANSELL: He shows not a flicker
of guilt, remorse, concern. No, no, I had nothing to do with it. He perfectly encapsulates for me that wonderful phrase,
a wolf in sheep's clothing. He looked for all the world like a choir boy, but he wasn't.
NARRATOR: Martha Sue Young would never return home. The police didn't know it yet, but Martha had been strangled
to death by her former fiancee and fellow church member, Don Miller. ROD SADLER: They suspected that Don
Miller was responsible for her disappearance. They had no proof of that. They had some indicators that he was a suspect.
They had found some blood in his vehicle on the morning that she was reported missing, January 1, 1977.
RICHARD WESTGATE: He was never able to be prosecuted on the disappearance of Martha Sue Young
because we had no body. We did not find a body. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: They have this missing woman
and they know that in many cases they need to look at the ex-partner or the partner, who
has very often something to do with that. But there was no evidence. Martha was just missing.
RICHARD WESTGATE: It was very frustrating to the point that we were not able to get any straight evidence
or deem evidence worthy enough to bring prosecution. So it was very frustrating.
NARRATOR: Almost 10 months later in thick woodland, two hunters made a discovery.
The clothes that Martha Sue Young was wearing on the night of her disappearance.
ROD SADLER: Martha Sue Young's bra was inside of her sweater. Her sweater was inside of her coat.
Her pants were laid at the base of her coat. Her panties were inside of her pants.
Her shoes were at the base of her pant legs. And it was as if she had laid down and simply disappeared.
ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Her purse was also there as well. This is a really grim discovery, because I think this confirms
for her parents and indeed for the police that she's most definitely come to harm.
NARRATOR: Still without a body, the police were unable to arrest Don Miller even
though he was the most obvious suspect in Martha's disappearance. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Miller killed Martha Sue
Young because she compromised his feelings of control over her. She called off the engagement.
And for somebody like Miller, women don't get to do that. For someone like Miller, the men call the shots.
The women are subservient. They are passive. And this chimes very much with some of his religious beliefs.
So at this point, he changes the project. So he stops trying to control her by keeping her
in a relationship with him and instead he switches to controlling her by destroying her for leaving him.
NARRATOR: Don Miller had got away with murder. Over the next 19 months, the evangelical killer
would claim the lives of another three women before he turned his lethal attention
towards two innocent children. By the summer of 1978, 23-year-old Don Miller had killed four women in Lansing, Michigan,
but the police were unaware. Miller was about to strike again, this time on Canal Road
at the home of teenage siblings Randy and Lisa Gilbert, whose parents were at work.
LISA ASHER: It was during the summer and I don't remember what he did, but Randy was grounded.
And every morning, we would have to call my stepmom when we got up and at 3 o'clock in the afternoon to check in with her,
make sure everything was OK. And I was ready to call Donna for the afternoon, and I wanted him right beside me because I didn't want
to lie and say, yeah, he's here and then her want to talk to him and he's not here.
He liked to fish in the pond behind the house, hang out with some friends. So I went outside to call him.
And then when I came back around the front of the house to go back inside, which is through the garage,
there was a car parked in the driveway. NARRATOR: The Gilberts' house had only recently been built,
and 14-year-old Lisa assumed the driver was one of the construction workers who regularly came to make repairs.
LISA ASHER: So I proceeded to walk into the back door. And this guy was in my house.
So he walked out the house. And he says, is your dad home? I didn't think anything of it and I said,
no, he's working right now. He won't be home until 6:00 or 6:30. And he's like, can I get a number
so that I can talk to him? And I said, yeah, sure. So I went over to a cupboard to get a paper and pencil,
not knowing that he walked in behind me. And then he proceeded to pull out a knife
and hold it to my throat. And he told me not to speak. And he said, don't scream or don't yell.
NARRATOR: The petrified 14-year-old had no option but to comply with the stranger.
Don Miller was on the verge of claiming a fifth victim. LISA ASHER: I didn't want to get hurt,
so I just did what he asked me to do. I'm not saying I wasn't smart enough to figure out ways to get out.
But at that age, that's the last thing you're thinking about. Then he proceeded to take me into my parents' bedroom
and told me to face down on the floor. So I did. And he went into the closet and was gathering up things.
So he stuffed knee highs in my mouth and put a tie around it and then tied my arms behind my back and then tied my ankles.
And there he proceeded to rape me. And then he took the belt that was in my shorts
and proceeded to start strangling me with it. Well, the belt was wore and it broke.
After that, he just proceeded to choke me with his hands. And then I was blacking out.
I didn't see anything. It was like pitch black. So I know I was ready to black out.
And that's when Randy walked in. August 16, 1978 was a normal summer day for us.
We were on summer break from school. I was off playing, just out doing the things that a 13-year-old boy would do.
That day kind of changed, though, when out of the blue, something told me to go home.
And I just stopped what I was doing and went home. NARRATOR: When Randy entered the family home,
everything was not as it seemed. RANDY GILBERT: It was really quiet. I didn't know where my sister was.
I saw a strange man come out of my father's bedroom. And I just stopped and kind of looked at him
and he locked eyes with me and said, hi, how you doing? I said hi back. And he kind of just walked around me
and he quickly grabbed me from behind and put a knife to my throat. And he said, I'm not going to hurt you.
And at that point, I'm obviously confused and scared. Then he asked me where my room was.
I said my room's upstairs. And he said something to the effect of take me to it.
NARRATOR: With a knife to the throat of the 13-year-old, Miller led Randy up the stairs and into the teenager's
bedroom. RANDY GILBERT: And put me down on the floor and he sat on my back with my left arm behind my back.
He was holding me there. And at that point, scared as I was, I started to scramble a little bit, as much as I could.
I really couldn't move. He had me in a good hold. NARRATOR: The older Miller overpowered the youngster
and began to try and end Randy's life. RANDY GILBERT: That's when he started slicing my throat with a knife.
Once I saw a little bit of blood, I kind of panicked, fought back a little bit more.
Somehow I was able to grab the knife out of his hand with my free hand and threw it across the room.
And at that point, I recall him strangling me with his hands. NARRATOR: Randy blacked out and was helpless to stop
Miller's brutal attack. RANDY GILBERT: I was unconscious. So there was no fighting back.
There was nothing I could do. I mean, his intent was to kill me, obviously. But once I passed out is the time that he recovered
the knife that I was able to throw, stabbed me twice in the chest, punctured a lung,
and scratched my heart, they say. It was that close to my heart. There's not a whole lot I really could do.
I couldn't get away. I couldn't run. He left me for dead, so. NARRATOR: Downstairs, Randy's sister Lisa had miraculously
regained consciousness and managed to find her way into her parents' bathroom. LISA ASHER: They had a little space
underneath the bottom shelf that they put dirty laundry in. I'm like, oh, I could sneak in here and hide
and he won't find me. So I crawled under there. Don't ask me how my size of my body
could fit into a small area, but I made it. And then as I'm in there, I'm realizing, you can get out.
You can get out and get some help. What are you doing sitting, laying here? NARRATOR: Summoning up the courage to look for help,
Lisa managed to loosen her shackles and make a run for it. LISA ASHER: My ankles became untied,
but my hands were still tied behind my back and the tie had fallen from around my mouth.
So when I got to the front door, I unlocked the door with my hands behind my back
and proceeded to basically run out in the street with no clothes on. When I ran to the first car, he just slowed down
and then he just went around me. And I'm like, I'll be damned if the next one's going to get past me.
So when it got closer, I jumped in front of it. He stopped and then I went on to his side
of the truck screaming help, please help my brother, please help my brother. Somebody is inside trying to kill my brother.
NARRATOR: The driver pulled over and headed towards the house to confront the attacker, who'd left Randy for dead.
Upstairs, the 13-year-old had somehow survived the vicious attack and was lying in a pool of blood
on his bedroom floor. RANDY GILBERT: The next thing I realize is I woke up and I'm covered in blood.
I ran downstairs and I was going to the front door of the house, which was near the bottom of the stairs.
And I threw open the front door to get out of the house. I saw that car that I saw earlier in the driveway
tearing out of the yard out into the road and taking off. NARRATOR: Miller had evaded the kindly driver
who'd stopped to help Lisa, but not before the man had memorized his license plate.
LISA ASHER: The police came. The ambulance came. And then the last thing I remember
was getting in the ambulance upset saying, is my brother going to die? Is my brother going to die?
Is my brother going to die? RANDY GILBERT: This whole time, I didn't see my sister.
I didn't hear my sister. I had no clue where she even was. But once I got into the ambulance, I heard her crying.
Didn't know what happened to her at this point. But I knew we were both in a safe place.
LISA ASHER: And he kind of like lifted up off the gurney and said, sis, I'm OK. We're going to the hospital.
I'm OK. And I said, all right. So then I sat right next to him until we got to the hospital.
NARRATOR: Lisa and Randy Gilbert's lives would never be the same again. But ultimately, Don Miller had failed in his attempt
to kill for a fifth time. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: The attack on the Gilbert children was so different from the previous attacks
that he'd made. It tells us how emboldened he was, how confident he was. He felt completely untouchable.
He's killed multiple people at this point in time and he hasn't got caught. There have been no consequences.
So he feels that he can do whatever he likes now. NARRATOR: Miller was on the run while Lisa and Randy were still
coming to terms with what had happened at their home on Canal Road. RANDY GILBERT: I didn't find out until later, after we were
in the hospital, that she had also been strangled and she was raped. I didn't quite understand that as a 13-year-old boy what all
that really meant at that time. But I'm thankful that she's still with us. I feel if-- if I hadn't--
if I hadn't come home like I did, I don't know what would have happened to her. LISA ASHER: I believe that my brother came
in just at the perfect timing. Because if not, I would have been gone. And if it wasn't for me getting out,
we both would have been gone. NARRATOR: Don Miller had left behind two survivors
and his license plate number had been recorded. The game was seemingly up. But first the police needed to track him down
before he could kill again. On the 16th of August, 1978, 23-year-old Don Miller had attempted to murder
two teenagers at their home in Eaton County, Michigan. Before fleeing the scene, Miller's license plate number
had been taken and passed on to the police. The East Lansing Police Department were familiar with Don Miller because he
was obviously the suspect in Martha Sue Young's disappearance. They knew where he worked.
They knew where his parents lived, and they knew where his new girlfriend lived.
NARRATOR: Detective Richard Westgate had worked on the Martha Sue Young case since her disappearance on New Year's Day 1977.
He'd always suspected Miller of foul play but could never prove it. RICHARD WESTGATE: The license plate number was put out.
As soon as I heard that it was Don Miller's car, I went along with other investigators
to Don Miller's new girlfriend's house, basically just waited, and then I saw his car pull up.
And I pulled my car behind him, ordered him out of the car at gunpoint, and his reaction was,
what's going on? I've just been shopping. Why are you doing this? And other officers then came to assist.
We put him in handcuffs and secured him to the East Lansing Police Department. NARRATOR: Miller was interrogated about the attack
on Lisa and Randy Gilbert. ROD SADLER: Detective Norm Kelly interviewed him and confronted
him with the fact that witnesses had gotten his license plate number, had picked him out of a photo lineup,
had described him to a T. And yet Miller maintained that he didn't know how that could possibly be,
because he wasn't involved. NARRATOR: The information gathered by witnesses was enough for detectives to arrest
Miller, Much to the relief of 14-year-old Lisa. LISA ASHER: I don't quite remember when I was told,
but when I was, I was happy that he was caught. And I'm like, are you sure you got the right one?
Are you sure you got the right guy? Are you sure? NARRATOR: Detectives not only questioned Miller
about the attack on the Gilberts and the disappearance of Martha Sue Young. They also quizzed him about three other crimes that
had taken place in the Lansing area over the previous two months. 27-year-old Marita Choquette had vanished
on the 15th of June, 1978. She was taking the trash out and she bantered back and forth
jokingly with her neighbor. And that was the last she was ever seen. Marita Choquette's vehicle was found the next morning
on the Michigan State University campus, but it wasn't parked in its usual position.
And when her boss arrived at work, her boss thought, well, she must be here early.
And as she began to check around, she realized that Marita was not there. NARRATOR: Police didn't have any reason to link Miller to Marita
at the time, but they knew for sure that she had been murdered. ROD SADLER: It was about two weeks later when Marita's body
was discovered by a farmer about 10 miles from the Michigan State University campus.
ELIZABETH YARDLEY: And her body appeared to be positioned. So it was as if she had been standing up
and she'd fallen back, because her feet were tucked underneath her. And also her hands had been severed
and they were laying at her side. NARRATOR: Detectives interrogated Miller about another woman, 21-year-old Wendy Bush, who disappeared
on the same day that Marita's body had been discovered, the 27th of June, 1978. ROD SADLER: The following day, Wendy
was supposed to show up for work at one of the cafes on campus. And when she didn't show up, her supervisor became concerned.
And they checked her dorm and discovered that all of her belongings were there. And so she was reported as a missing person.
GEOFFREY WANSELL: Wendy Bush, it was said, was last seen with a tall white man on campus.
Well, Miller wasn't a very tall man. So there was really nothing to connect him with the disappearance of Wendy Bush either.
It was a mystery. NARRATOR: Miller denied knowing anything about Wendy Bush, but detectives are certain he was
responsible for the disappearance of another woman, 30-year-old Kristine Stuart.
Kristine had disappeared on the 14th of August, just two days before Miller had attacked the Gilberts.
ROD SADLER: Kristine Stuart was a teacher at Lansing's Everett High School. She was adored by her students.
She was a very well known, very well liked teacher. She was married to a contractor, and they
lived in the East Lansing area. RICHARD WESTGATE: She and her husband got along very well.
She would not disappear for any reason at all. So it was unlike Kris Stuart to just vanish.
NARRATOR: Investigators had been searching for Kristine for the past two days. RICHARD WESTGATE: We secured every police
officer available in the area of East Lansing. We used the helicopter to try to see if there was a body
or anything we could see. We had bike patrols. We had all the cars that were out.
We did everything we could possibly to see if she was just missing in the area and we did not locate her.
NARRATOR: Fortunately for detectives, a witness had seen Kristine's abduction firsthand
and gave a statement to the police. She would later pick out Miller's photo in an identity parade.
ROD SADLER: There was a woman who was traveling north on Coolidge and a car turned in front of her
and she saw a man that was wrestling, basically, with a woman, trying to force her into a vehicle.
And she saw the man thrust a knife three times down into the car and she was able to describe blood
dripping off of the knife as Don Miller stabbed Kristine Stuart. GEOFFREY WANSELL: At that point, you
would have thought had Donald Miller been as clever as he thought he was, he would have stopped.
He would have simply said, well, there's nothing to connect me with any of these disappearances.
There's nothing to connect me with the one body they've got. I won't do anything.
But he didn't. NARRATOR: Just two days after Miller had been seen stabbing Kristine, he'd attacked
Lisa and Randy Gilbert. He was now in custody but refusing to admit to any of the attacks.
Nonetheless, a grand jury was impaneled and Miller was charged with the crimes that detectives could link him to.
ROD SADLER: That grand jury indicted Don Miller in two of the disappearances. One for the disappearance of Martha Sue
Young and the disappearance of Kristine Stuart. And he was indicted for second degree murder in those cases.
The prosecuting attorney's office felt they could prove second degree murder. There's no way without a body they can prove premeditation.
And so he was indicted for two of the disappearances and eventually charged in those murders.
NARRATOR: Miller would first stand trial for the horrific attack on the Gilberts.
The two children that he had left callously for dead would have to look into the eyes of the killer one last time.
In May 1979, Don Miller was on trial in Berrien County, Michigan. The 24-year-old was charged with a rape and attempted murder
of Lisa Gilbert and the attempted murder of her brother, Randy. Miller was a devout Christian, but his story
was far from holy. ROD SADLER: During his trial, Don Miller claimed that he only went into the Gilbert home
to rid the home of demons. He used a demon defense. Not that he was possessed, but that there
was some sort of an occult inside the home and that he went in to rescue the people in there.
NARRATOR: Lisa and Randy both testified in the courtroom and had to face their attacker for the first time
since their ordeal. RANDY GILBERT: I remember looking at him and they had him, he was wearing a suit.
I remember thinking as an angry teenage boy is, why does he get to wear a suit? Why is he not in jail clothes?
I had to see him, though. I had to testify that he was the one. And I clearly knew he was.
And it was really difficult for my sister as well. LISA ASHER: I was scared. I was nervous knowing that I was in the same room as him
and that I was facing him. A lot of things were kept hush hush, because we were young.
They didn't want to hurt us any more than what we were already going through. NARRATOR: On the 9th of May, 1979,
Don Miller was found guilty on all three rape and attempted murder charges. He was sentenced to 30 to 50 years in prison.
He was due in court again soon after to answer second degree murder charges for his part in the disappearance
of his former fiancee, Martha Sue Young, and 30-year-old teacher Kristine Stuart.
But while he was behind bars, he suddenly appeared willing to talk about the other crimes
he'd committed. ROD SADLER: The prison warden noticed that he was very withdrawn and felt
that possibly some regressive psychotherapy could be used or some hypnosis. And in those regressive psychotherapy interviews,
Don Miller admitted to the murder of Martha Sue Young and the murder of Kristine Stuart
and the murder of Wendy Bush and the murder of Maria Choquette. NARRATOR: During a search of Miller's home,
investigators had already uncovered some damning evidence in the Marietta Choquette case.
RICHARD WESTGATE: In a drawer in his room, I found the handcuffs that obviously he had used
to handcuff Marita Choquette. And he must not have had a key, because that's why he severed the hands off.
So we found the handcuffs in the drawer in his room. There were blood samples inside the handcuffs which were traced
back to Marita Choquette. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: It certainly isn't enough for Miller at this point to just kill his victim.
His victim is his possession. He owns her and he's going to do what he wants to her.
And by severing her hands, by leaving her in this state, he's essentially dehumanizing her.
He's completely possessing and controlling her. NARRATOR: But Don Miller would never face a trial for murder.
In a bid to find closure for the families of his victims and as he was already facing 50 years in prison,
he was offered a deal by prosecutors. ROD SADLER: Don Miller accepted a plea deal
with the prosecuting attorney's office. And in that plea deal, he was allowed to plead to two counts of manslaughter
and the original two counts of second degree murder would be dropped. But in exchange for that plea, within a week
he would have to lead authorities to the bodies of the remaining missing three victims, Martha Sue Young, Wendy
Bush, and Kristine Stuart. NARRATOR: In July 1979, Miller led detectives to the remains of each of the women he'd killed, one
after the other, beginning with his former fiancee and first victim, Martha Sue Young.
ROD SADLER: Martha Sue Young's body was found at a park in Bath Township northeast of Lansing,
a park called Prigooris Park. It had been 18 months or more since she had come up missing
and it was basically a skeleton when she was discovered. NARRATOR: Wendy Bush's body was the next to be found.
Miller told detectives he'd once gone canoeing with the 21-year-old. He choked her to death in a parking lot
at Michigan State University. RICHARD WESTGATE: And then we went and found Kris Stuart's remains in a ditch in a farm field.
And he pointed them out. He didn't even get out of the car. He just said to her remains are right over there.
And I was walking with one of the prosecutors at the time and actually discovered the remains at our feet
in a little water dish. So she had been there for quite a few days until we found her.
NARRATOR: Miller said he'd run down Kristine Stuart in his car before strangling her to death because he was convinced
she was Martha Sue Young. Kristine was Miller's fourth and final victim. Because of the plea deal, Don Miller,
who was already serving 30 to 50 years for the attack on the Gilberts, was sentenced to 10
additional years for the manslaughter of Martha and Kristine. GEOFFREY WANSELL: He's killed four young women,
dumped their bodies, done dreadful things, and yet he gets 10 years. Oh, I suppose everyone was thinking, well,
he's already serving 30 to 50 years. Well, it's not another 10 at the end. It's 10 concurrently.
So he's still only going to serve exactly the same as he did for the rape and attempted
murder of Lisa and Randy. NARRATOR: Don Miller could have been released by now, but in 1994, he was given another 20 to 40 years
on his sentence because a homemade weapon was found in his cell. I think it's important for the public
to understand that Don Miller is not in prison right now for murder or for rape or for attempted murder.
Don Miller is only still in prison for possessing a strangulation device or garrote in his prison dorm.
ELIZABETH YARDLEY: This is clearly something that is significant in terms of the murders
that he committed. Because had he addressed all of those underlying factors which
led to his offending, he would have no need to have that kind of thing in his cell.
So the fact that it was there suggests to me he's reliving these attacks. He's revisiting them.
He's enjoying that. LISA ASHER: So obviously that's telling you right then and there that he's not rehabilitated.
He's thinking about doing it again. And he's still thinking about doing it again
if they allow him to get out. NARRATOR: Miller's been up for parole several times
since his incarceration. Leading the fight to keep him behind bars is Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd.
DOUG LLOYD: The minute we received notice that that individual is up for parole, it's a process.
My office begins the process of preparing letters to send to the parole board. We begin gathering individuals who will send letters
and who will contact the parole board to let them know that this individual should not
be released. RICHARD WESTGATE: I've already written a letter to the Michigan Parole Board.
This is something that never leaves you as an investigator. This person killed four people, attempted to kill two
more people, a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old. I know him better than anybody, and I'm afraid if Don Miller is
released, he will kill again. NARRATOR: Despite his crimes, reports from prison suggest that Miller is ready to be reintegrated into society.
DOUG LLOYD: Don Miller is a sociopath. In reality, he plays the part that he knows
he must play within prison. And because of that, he places himself in the ability
to be viewed for parole every year, which is why it's so important to the victims
that the parole board have that ability to say you won't be reviewed for five years.
Because he's a serial killer. That's what he was when he was out on the streets.
That's what he is in prison. RANDY GILBERT: To me the word serial killer and parole
should not even be in the same paragraph or the same sentence, for that matter. So we sit here today probably just as scared
as I was back then that this monster could be walking the streets right now soon.
NARRATOR: In June 2021, Miller's latest bid for freedom failed. Michigan State law dictates that the 66-year-old can apply
for parole every 12 months, making it a constant battle for Doug and the Gilberts.
DOUG LLOYD: Well, you know what amazes me is the fact that they both get up every day and they go about their lives
and they both become productive members in our community. Because they'd have every right to not want to be.
Because they've been imprisoned by a serial killer since that day in 1978. RANDY GILBERT: We have to do this every year
for the next nine years. In the year 2031, he's able to walk out of jail and his sentence is over.
And that's really tough to deal with right now. NARRATOR: Miller committed his crimes
in his early 20's and has spent the majority of his life behind bars. But Lisa and Randy have also suffered
a lifetime of pain caused by their horrendous ordeal in August 1978. RANDY GILBERT: I have physical scars on my body
that I see every day that are reminders. I have nightmares constantly. I don't sleep well.
Without getting too emotional, it's very difficult for me to this day to really think hard, talk
about what happened to her. If I wasn't off goofing off, it may not have happened.
It probably wouldn't have happened. Or if I was home, Don Miller would have seen both of us and not just my sister
and he would have kept on going. So I feel that it's kind of my fault. So I have to protect her.
LISA ASHER: I don't think I could ever speak to him face to face. But if I could write to him, I'd write to him and tell him,
may you rot in hell. RICHARD WESTGATE: He has no remorse. He is not forgiving. You can just see how he escalated
and how he was going to kill a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old how he had already killed his girlfriend at the time
and three other ladies. He is a danger. He is a threat. And he does not need to be released.
NARRATOR: We may never know why Don Miller chose to end the life of four women. He's never given an explanation for it.
What we do know is he left behind four grieving families and ruined the lives of two children
who are still affected by his murderous attack to this day. The fact that a supposed staunch Christian can stoop
to such depravity makes Don Miller one of the world's most evil killers. [music playing]

The story of a terrifying killer who snatched away the lives of four victims before being caught while trying to claim his fifth.

An in-depth look at the lives and crimes of some of the world's most evil killers. New episodes including Lee Ford, Pawel Relowicz, John Shaw, John Allen Muhammad, Derrick Todd Lee and more.

Brief Summary

Don Miller's violent attack on siblings Lisa and Randy Gilbert reveals the horrors of his serial killings and the lasting trauma on survivors.

Key points

The Grim Discovery. Almost 10 months after Martha Sue Young's disappearance, her clothes were found in the woods.
The Attack on the Gilbert Children. On August 16, 1978, Don Miller attacked siblings Randy and Lisa Gilbert in their home.
Survival Against the Odds. Despite the brutal attack, both Lisa and Randy managed to survive.
The Disappearance of Marita Choquette. Marita Choquette vanished while taking out the trash, leaving her community in shock.
Witness to Kristine Stuart's Abduction. A witness saw Miller abduct Kristine Stuart, providing crucial evidence against him.
Miller's Demon Defense. During his trial, Miller claimed he entered the Gilbert home to rid it of demons.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I will never forget this case.

Richard Westgate on the enduring memory of the case.

0:58WatchAug 10, 2022

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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