Toxic

A Brilliant Scientist Turns Up Dead... Medical Mystery Or Murder?

(CBS)  The news shocked Lt. Chris Morgan. Twenty four hours after he tried to interrogate Derril Willard about his role in Eric Miller's murder, Derril was dead.

Yvette Willard found her husband's lifeless body in the garage. By his side was a note apologizing for leaving his family and also denying his involvement in Eric Miller's murder.

"I have been accused of an action for which I am not responsible," Derril wrote. "I have taken no one's life save my own."

Yvette says her husband was supposed to see his lawyer that day. She says he was worried that morning after the police searched their home looking for arsenic. Stories about his affair with Ann - his romantic trip to Chicago with her just days before Eric fell ill at the bowling alley - were going to be all over the news.

Yvette already knew what the world was just finding out about her husband's affair. She says she had her suspicions for weeks.

"I knew he was attracted to Ann when I knew the way he talked about her versus the way he talked about everybody else at work," she says.

Before Ann, Yvette says Derril had been depressed, trying to take stock of his life as he approached 40. "We had been married for awhile," she explains. "The newness has worn off and we just started, you know, fighting a little more."

But after he became friendly with Ann, Derril began paying more attention to his appearance and working out. On Yvette's birthday, Derril told her he needed some time away to think things over.

"I knew what he was going out of town for," she says. That was the weekend in Chicago with Ann Miller. Yvette says she didn't confront her husband out of "fear."

"You can know the truth, but until it's spoken, once you those words get out, you can’t get them back. And I guess I was hoping he'd realize what he was doing," she tells Troy Roberts.

But after Eric's murder, Derril sat Yvette down. "He said he didn't know if he loved me and that he had been having an affair. And I said 'With Ann.' He said, 'Yes.'"

Roberts asks her, "What do you think was going through his mind? Did he think he had a future with this woman?"

"I think that Derril would not have had an affair without that," Yvette replies. And when asked if Derril put arsenic in Eric Miller's beer that day she says, "I do not believe so." Yvette says she asked her husband that very question, to which he said, "No, I didn't."

Yvette says Derril would not have tried to kill Eric, because he "wasn't the type that thought he could get away with something like that."

Yvette says Derril is just not capable of murder, that he would have encouraged Ann to seek a divorce - not help her kill her husband. And although he was innocent, she says her husband was emotionally fragile and could not bare the very public accusations.

"He had made one comment to me prior to his death. He said, 'You know how to bend. You can take things. And you just bend and you keep going.' He says, 'I can't. I'll break.' And so I knew he just couldn't cope anymore."

Yvette's last conversation with her husband took place the day after the house was searched.

"I told him it was gonna be a really hard day and I asked if he'd give me a hug. And he did. And I thought he was gonna break my bones. He was squeezing... and then I left."

While Yvette dropped their daughter at daycare and headed in to work, Derril was planning his death.

"The world looks black to me," he wrote. "All I can see is the smearing of my name, pain caused to my family, personal humiliation and probable economic ruin."

Derril thought his family would be better off without him. Yvette blames Ann Miller for his death. "My husband would still be here if it wasn't for her."

The Millers, on the other hand, didn't know what to believe.

"Ann was feeding us information such that Derril was obsessed with her..." says Eric's sister, Leeann. "We did think that it was possible that Derril poisoned Eric and in the end was trying to get him out of the picture."

But when the full autopsy report was released, the Millers were flabbergasted.

"I think it's likely that Eric received at least one dose of arsenic in the hospital. And very likely, the fatal dose," says Medical Examiner Dr. Tom Clark.

Incredible as it sounds, Dr. Clark is almost certain that someone came into Eric's hospital room and finished him off with a final fatal dose. But that wasn't the only stunning news.

To the shock of investigators, Dr. Clark's team found arsenic in Eric's hair four months before he went bowling with Derril Willard and months before police believe Derril and Ann began their affair.

"Arsenic's not the kind of crime you can commit at any distance," Morgan explains. "You have to be able to put the arsenic in the food or drink and introduce into the body."

In terms of possible suspects, that left only Ann. Morgan believes she dosed her husband with arsenic for months. "I do think that Ann was seeing just how much poison it would take to make Eric sick, sort of experimenting," he says.

And then, Morgan says, Ann turned to Derril. "Ann reached a point where she was ready to eliminate Eric," he explains. "She needs to make sure that she keeps her hands clean and has a reasonable patsy, that if something does goes wrong, he can take the fall."

If Ann really was this cold and calculating, was she in fact a psychopath? Morgan and the Millers feared the worst. Would she now try to hurt baby Clare?

"I am scared to death for Clare's well being," says Leeann. "You know at any moment she could be poisoning Clare."

[csi-lover]

sassalin31,

Thanks for the kind words. Besides CSI, I do enjoy watching 48 hours, NCIS, Dateline, etc.

Do read the book.

CSI-Lover

[sassalin31]

csi-lover,

Good points. I may have to read the book. You should watch all the other crime shows on TV. CSI is so inacurate but sometimes does have good plots.

[csi-lover]

For anyone interested in knowing what my 5 star word is which was deleted, it starts with a "W" and refers to a profession for women in Las Vegas who perform sex for money.

[csi-lover]

I read Amanda Lambs book 'Deadly Doses' cover to cover in one day. My eyes were tired and seeing stars, but it really was worth it. I saw the 48 hours special on this, so I could relate to the story. Here's the deal; Ann Miller is basically a ***** and an extremely sel-centered, selfish person. Of course she took the plea bargain, what a deal for someone who has no remorse, or a psycopath as referred to by Morgan. Any one who hasn't read the book will find more details about this case and Ann Miller than 48 hours had in its broadcast. Here's what struck me the most; prior to being with Eric, a former boyfriend went parachuting in front of her and hit the ground without his parachute opening. Yes, he died. And what about her neighbor who died from an alledged poisoning? Since we know she was a serial adulterer, how about a serial killer too? Even worse (this is why I call her a *****), she was having sex with a man in San Francisco when she was pregnant with Clare from Eric in her first trimester. Eric even asked her to stop seeing this guy and she said "We are just friends. Don't worry, I just love you". Heard that line before? And yes, she was having sex with Derril as well after Clare was born. Couldn't get enough Ann? Or is she a sexual predator? But the best part of all is seeing her without her makeup on, so you can see who she really is; quite plain to be nice to her. And the evil in her is more evident to see, especially in her eyes. The makeup helped to create a mirage, or a fake persona, making her someone she really wasn't. But certainly something to hide behind. The only redeeming quality for this woman is she did ask for forgiveness when she was sentenced by way of her attorney. However, we will never know why she did it. Morgan tells us this unfortunate fact in the book; it's up to her to do that. From what I hear, Ann Miller is still denying she had anything to do with Eric's murder accept pleading guilty to the crime so she could save her ass from the death penalty. Did Derril have more to do with this than just putting arsenic in his beer once at the bowling alley? According to Morgan, this isn't the case. Therefore, until she comes clean and out of denial, we'll probably never know. For true crime lovers, see the movie Fractured starring Anthony Hopkins. If there's anyway to keep this psycopath, Ann Miller, away from society, this might be our only chance.

[geena5]

especially the New Testament

[geena5]

lostreef, she could have believed being a widow was more respectful than being a divorcee. that's the main connection I was making with the catholic church, it is one of their teachings and ann miller was even teaching a class with them so she probably was thoroughly indoctrinated. it is too bad she used her talent as a scientist for such evil. and it is better to read the bible than go to church, especially bad ones, I highly recommend

[problem09]

im glad this has ended in this woman going to jail. she has no right to be free in this world. i think that she has no respect for her religon or any concept of the 10 commandments which the cathloc religion holds so high. even when she gets out of prison she will have nothing, her daughter will be brought up knowing what happened and most likely not want anything to do with her. i hope that she rots in her cell while thinking about why she is in there.

[cliffps]

She is ONE.... SCARY..... WOMAN!

[48hrzfanz]

Has anyone ever watched those 1940's classic NOIR movies? The women in those films are cold and heartless, yet come on nice and sweet. Ann Miller is those women. Evil to the core. I'd call her a Black Widow. Ann poisoned her husband long before he drank that glass of beer.
I guess the Mystery here is why? I don't believe the Perfect Life scenario. I don't believe her Catholic belief had anything to do with it either. She had no Faith what so ever. I think she was just a cold blooded killer who thought she could get a way with murder. Ann Miller almost did.

[desertpro]

rnbwprsm01:

It's time to take your meds dear. As to the article it is well done. Hopefully this evil person will never get out to darken the lives of those she betrayed so.