ABILENE, Texas — (Editor's note: The attached video was originally published in April 2019)
Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a father and son accused of killing their neighbor in a dispute.
Michael Theodore Miller and John Dee Allen Miller were arrested in September 2018 for the murder of Aaron Howard.
Court documents state on Sept. 1, 2018, Abilene Police were called to an alley on Don Juan Street and determined the Millers had shot at Howard after an argument about a discarded box spring in the alleyway. Howard died from his injuries.
The documents state when the first shots were fired, Howard had a bat in his hand and was approximately seven feet away from John Miller, who was the closest to Howard. Michael Miller fired a shot from a shotgun and John Miller fired two rounds from his pistol.
At the time, both Millers admitted to shooting Howard.
Howard's wife, Kara Box, recorded the encounter on her phone and turned it over to detectives for review. APD Det. Jordan Brown said in an affidavit it was apparent from the video and interviews with the Millers, that the father and son were tired of their neighbor, Howard, acting out, yelling and verbally threatening them. The Millers brought firearms out during the Sept. 1, 2018, argument and stood in the alley as Howard got more and more upset, the documents state.
When Howard raised his bat while he was approximately seven feet away from John Miller, John shot him.
An autopsy showed Howard's cause of death was one gunshot wound to the chest and a shotgun wound to the head. He also had a gunshot wound to the right forearm. The manner of death was listed as homicide by the medical examiner's office.
The Millers were indicted for the murder in December 2018.
Voir dire for the jury is expected to last into Monday evening and opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday morning at the Taylor County Courthouse.