One of the most heinous acts to ever be committed in Ascension Parish finally came back to the doorstep of closure Friday, as admitted killer Shon Miller Sr. changed his plea in the 1999 shooting deaths of his wife, child, mother in law and a teen in Gonzales.
Miller was previously convicted of killing the four victims in 2000, but the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned the decision after it found that Judge Alvin Turner did not allow Miller to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in the case. The decision reopened the case last year, along with many wounds for family members and the community.
As part of the agreement, Miller pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder during an open court hearing Friday morning in Gonzales, and was subsequently sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole.
The way the plea bargain came about was bizarre in itself, as Miller, 32, recently found out that own his health is failing rapidly. Doctors have told Miller that he may not survive the year. With a trial date set for Aug. 4 in the case, attorneys on both sides discussed the matter and Miller agreed to plead guilty and accept the life sentences.
First Assistant District Attorney Ricky Babin, surrounded by the victims’ family members, read from a prepared statement Friday announcing the plea bargain, and disclosing Miller’s failing health. Neither Miller or his three-lawyer defense team were present at the press conference, for understandable reasons.
For the family members of Carla Vessel Miller, Shon Miller Jr., Mildred Vessel and Vanario Jackson, the plea finally brings a sense of relief to their lives. When something so painful that you thought was over comes boiling over again, it is difficult to handle.
At Friday’s press conference, Timothy Vessel, speaking on behalf of the victims’ families, said that Miller apologized to the families in open court Friday for what he had done, and that the families accepted that apology. This showing of forgiveness may be hard to fathom, but it speaks volumes for the resolve of these families.
We hope that the victims’ families can finally have some peace brought back into their lives. While the loss of their loved ones can never be taken away, we hope that seeing justice finally served in the case can serve as solace for their losses.
