Dangerous Reunion

Back at the hearing, the defense argues just that, bringing in an expert witness, Dr. Jason Dunham, who tells the court he finds nothing, including those photos, to prove this was a sexual crime.

Wesley Miller surprisingly agrees with the prosecution on one thing – his 25 year sentence, he says, was too light. "It wasn't fair because I was guilty and it's a very bad crime," he said.

And, when prompted, he says he's sorry for what he did and asks for forgiveness.

Testimony lasted four days; soon the jury will speak. 25 years ago, sympathetic jurors gave Wesley Miller the break of his life and this jury could set him free.

The jury is deliberating Wesley Miller's future and prosecutor Joey Robertson is tense.

His biggest concern? "The burden that is put on us. To prove the motivation of a murder that happened 25 years ago," he tells Spencer.

And he says that with Miller's sentence about to end, the stakes are huge. "If Wesley Miller is walking around unsupervised, Texas is a little more dangerous place to live."

Pam Lakatos helped prosecute Miller for Retha's murder 25 years ago, but she is now a defense attorney, and generally, not happy with civil commitment.

"What do you say to the idea that you know what? This guy served every minute of what a jury of his peers said he should. And he has paid his debt to society, leave him alone?" Spencer asks.

"I would agree with that. I use that argument quite frequently," Lakatos says.

But not even she hastens to add, when it comes to Wesley Wayne Miller, "If you were talking to me about somebody else besides Miller, it'd be different. All right? If I didn't feel so strongly, it'd be different."

Win or lose, Rona and Lisa say they're grateful this trial finally showed the world the real Wesley Miller and all he did.

"We might not win it, but it was all said in court. It's all wrapped up and that's up to that jury to decide that," Rona tells Spencer.

And in a little under two hours, the jury had decided. Anxious to hear the verdict, Lisa and Rona join Susan Davis in court.

On question one, whether Wesley Miller is a repeat, violent, sexual offender, jurors ruled "Yes."

And there was more vindication to come for these three women, whose lives Miller altered forever 25 years ago.

On question two, jurors agreed that Miller suffers from a behavior abnormality, that makes him likely to engage in a predatory act of sexual violence.

The ruling states that Miller is a sexual predator and means that the minute he walks out of prison he'll be subject to strict supervision.

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[dama350]

Mr. Miller did not deserve fairness, because of the crimes he had committed, so therefore he needed to be monitored. I am happy he was released from prison, because the had served the time that was given to him. He did say he should have had a longer sentence.

Mr. Miller is a handsome man, and does not have the look of a killer or rapist. I hope he has been reformed, because he has a second chance. He might not have meant to kill the girl, but killed her out of fear, because she had recognized him. This does not justify him killing the girl, but he was young and dumb.

These are my thoughts, about the killing.

The raping was a mentally disturb person, so he might rape again, which is why he needs to be monitored.

[djs1215]

I am commenting on all the other messages that are for castration. Rape isn't about sex! It is about power and control over a victim. I live in Tx.and I say kill them all. There is NO OTHER CURE for these sickos.

[Brwnsgr115]

this article below its in some way similar... what do you think about it?

BRIDGEPORT -- On a list of truly evil people Darryl Whitaker ranks near the top. So why can't they keep him in prison?

At 22 years old, Whitaker had already raped at knifepoint a 20-year-old Trumbull woman and a 13-year-old Bridgeport girl.

Then on Feb. 8, 1983, while free on bond for the other two crimes, he committed one of the most horrendous acts in the city's history.

An 18-year-old girl was waiting for a bus to take her to the Trumbull mall so she could buy a birthday present for her mother at 2:30 in the afternoon when she was confronted by Whitaker.

He showed her the butt of a handgun sticking out of his waistband and told her he would "blow her gut out" if she didn't go with him.

He told her he only intended to rob her and then would set her free. But instead he forced her onto the rocky ground beneath the bleachers in Kennedy Stadium and raped her. He then pulled a piece of wire from his pocket, wrapped it around her throat and choked her until she passed out.

Concerned that she was still alive, Whitaker began bashing her repeatedly in the face with a rock. He then left her for dead.

But the young woman didn't die. Blind from the blows and the blood that caked her face, she began to crawl from under the bleachers, breaking off her fingernails on the frozen ground. She finally made it to the parking lot where she collapsed by a car.

One of the first police officers to get to the scene would later testify that it looked like a deer had been slaughtered beneath the bleachers.

The girl lost an eye in the attack, but doctors were able to reconstruct her face.

Two years later, a Superior Court jury would deliberate only two hours before finding Whitaker guilty of attempted murder, kidnapping, first-degree sexual assault, first-degree robbery and first-degree assault.

The evidence against Whitaker had been extensive. The victim had identified him in three separate photo arrays, specks of her blood were found on his jacket and police found a spool of wire in his home that matched the piece wound around her throat.

On Feb. 26, 1985, Judge Hugh Curran, a former mayor of the city, sentenced Whitaker to 75 years in prison, calling it the most horrendous crime he had ever heard.

The sentence didn't sit well with Whitaker. "You did everything in your power to see I would be convicted," he yelled at the judge. Turning toward a judicial marshal he stated: "OK man, let's go."

But it didn't end there.

Two years later, in February 1987, the state Supreme Court overturned the verdict and ordered Whitaker a new trial.

During the trial, Whitaker's lawyers had produced a woman who had testified she saw Whitaker on a city bus at the time of the crime.

Curran found out the woman had given a statement to the defense lawyers. He ordered them to turn over that statement -- in which the woman said she hadn't seen Whitaker on the bus -- over to the prosecutor who was required to give his witnesses' statements to the defense.

The state's high court ruled it was improper to make the defense turn over the statement. Defense lawyers are now required to do so.

But Whitaker was granted a new trial. He later agreed to a plea bargain and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

It's not over yet because the state Appellate Court later reduced the sentence to 20 years, ruling Whitaker was entitled to "good time" for the amount of time he waited in prison for the case to finally be resolved.

When Whitaker was released from prison in August 2007, he was required under the state's new Megan Law to register as a sex offender.

Whitaker reluctantly agreed to register, but as soon as he was out the prison gate he thumbed his nose at state officials failing to inform State Police of even the basic requirement that he provide them with a current address.

While on probation, he was cited 13 times for having marijuana in his system.

On Jan. 24, Whitaker's wife, who he met when he got out of prison, went to Stratford police. Officers described how she shook with fear as she described how Whitaker, in a rage, threatened to "go West Haven," on her, a reference to the incident six days earlier where a West Haven man, arrested for beating his wife, allegedly killed her the day he got out of prison.

"He told her if she sends him to jail he will kill her when he gets out," police said.

The wife has since claimed she exaggerated her claims, angrily telling this reporter that Whitaker is "A good man who just has some problems in his past."

For now, Whitaker, 46, is being held for failing to register as a sex offender, but his public defenders say they expect to argue that should be dismissed because the registration law wasn't in effect at the time of the initial crime.

[abbiejo]

Rona and Lisa are hero's. I thank god every day for strong determined women like them who fight for themselves and others despite how painful it must have been for them to do so.

[bighdelight]

I know it''s difficult to let things go sometimes. I have had 2, yes 2 brothers murdered as well as my mother was murdered by my stepfather. I can tell you unbelieveable stories of crimes you couldn''t imagine possible.
But that is not why I post my comment. I understand Wesley Miller''s sentence might have been light, but that''s the way justice works sometimes. I know a man that killed another totally in self defense and received a 12 year sentence. I know another man that killed a man by stabbing him in the neck 26 times...he was out of prison in 18 months. Is this fair?? of course not, but it is the way the justice system is designed to work.
By backing up the system causes more problems, more money from taxpayers, etc. When your prison term is up, then it is up. I believe this "civil commitmentment" rules he needs to abide by is a violation of his civil rights. Naturally, a prisoner loses many rights, but no one, NO ONE loses there civil rights, unless mandated by a couple of women who think they deserved to make his sentence, not the jury of his peers.

[Monalisastyle]

@bighdelight- did you say that you had to let things go after your brothers and mother were murdered by Your stepfather?
Maybe for you it was easier to walk away and stick your head in the sand, but it takes the strongest souls to make change happen. If we all looked at it in terms of the trauma vs. less than a 0.000001% of the taxpayers money, most of us would still agree that it's worth the fight!!!! I get so frustrated with people that act like a good cause is not worth the cost when even more is wasted on politicians' travel and lodging (most expensive hotels, first class seats, limo's...etc.). I can't believe that you would side with the murderers, rapist, child-molesters, considering you were a victim of those kind of people. I am been as well! But, I highly respect women that go through even more trauma by testifying when cowards like you sit here speaking about the money, as it if was your two cents. It's ours' as a society that wants civilized people amongst us and the minute those kind of people violate the CIVIL RIGHTS of innocent people that are tortured by the memory of the trauma for the rest of their lives (like I am), by acting like animals/beasts they showed through their actions that they have no remorse or consideration for anyone but their own sick fantasies, AND that is when they don't have the right to have any "civil" rights. They have no conscience!!!!! I would rather that our state & country be in debt for getting rid of animals/beasts among us than to save the money just for those ba$tards to continue, not only to haunt the victims, but to destroy the kind of world where you can allow your children to be kids and walk to a friends house without having to worry about the monsters among us! if you feel so much for their civil rights, maybe you should go live with them. This way you will get an idea of why a little more debt is money well invested and finally those victims that were not like you, can get the peace that they deserve!
And maybe you still don't get the point and the perspective in which I tried to relay this concept to you and others who think it's no big deal, so think about it this way: Would you still feel the same if the very animal that rapes you/your children, bashes your/your childrens' face in, and goes looking for the next victim?
I DON'T CARE ABOUT A RESPONSE HERE, JUST THINK ABOUT IT! Cuz cowards that find it easier to pretend like everything is okay by not pursuing justice for the family/loved ones that get murdered, raped, molested, are better off just not saying anything. if you can't contribute to the world to make it a better place, it is better that you hide in whatever nonsense you have to tell your self to have any compassion/empathy for those vicious inhumane animals that killed your family instead of the few victims that are willing to be put through a lot more pain so that they can help the world to fix what does not work and get rid of the loopholes in our system that allow such animals to keep preying on the innocent.
For you, I suggest therapy, cuz you buried it so deep that you have more consideration for the CIVIL rights of the perpetrator that killed your family.

[sal567]

Wesley Miller should have gotten the death penalty. Monsters like him should not be allowed to waste the taxpayers' money that should have been put to better use than keeping them alive only to continue menacing society.

[nothappyatall]

" I prayed to God, you know, 'Watch over me.' "

Yeah, really worked didn't it kids! just pray, too bad it didn't work BEFORE the attack thereby preventing it.


"and then that November, a man raped another young woman in the nearby town of Saginaw. "

I guess SHE didn't PRAY, or she didn't grovel enough maybe!

www.zeitgeist.com
evilbible.com

[boston1954]

To all you women out there,get training in hand guns and martial arts and learn to change your comings and goings routes to places you frequent the most. You will be a lot safer in this world.
Posted by Beadazzle at 01:51 AM : Aug 12, 2007
*

Nice thought, but that could not help me when I was nine and raped by my brothers in my own bed.

[dzfromsc]

I'm surprised a state like Texas with the death penalty has such lax laws on murders/*** offenders.
I hope nobody in River Oaks was trying to cover for Wesley, being a small town probably very proud of their football team and thier star player...seems very strange that they didn't show the composite to the victims or question him until it was obvious that he was involved...

Why can't we deport our criminals to China? That would free up prison space...
Seriously, I'm so happy for these women for doing what they did. Still, I wouldn't want him within 1,000 miles of me much less 25.
It's injustice like this that makes me people take matters into their own hands when they have been assualted, raped, etc.

God help us all...

[bamababydoll]

Congratulations on the victory in court, Rona and Lisa! You never gave up, you never backed down, and you didnt let anything waiver your mission! You did Reetha, and the women of the United States, a great justice here!