William Edward Miller Jr., A 51-year-old man from Great Falls, Montana, who faced 60 counts of child sexual abuse, has escaped jail after being given only a 1-year suspended sentence by the court. The decision has sparked widespread public outcry.
The individual was arrested last year on charges that he raped a 14-year-old girl and allowed an 11-year-old to rape her while he watched. When police raided his home, they found multiple images of child and animal sexual exploitation on his computer. Among the images were photographs of him having sex with a 17-year-old minor, whom he later married.
Due to a plea deal with prosecutors, the vast majority of the charges were dropped and based on the one photograph of him with a 17-year-old, he received the suspended sentence. While the judge sentenced him to 6 months, as he had already spent over a year on remand, he was given instant release and walked free form court that very day.
This means that if over the next year, he does not commit any further crimes, he will be a free individual and will even be able to petition his removal from the sex-offender registry.
During sentencing deliberation, the now 19 year old wife of Miller Jr. defended her husband's actions, saying:
"William is a kind, compassionate, empathetic man. Never has he manipulated or controlled me. I ask that we be free of this charge. I feel that we have suffered enough, and I am not a victim of my husband."
Miller Jr. claimed that he had spent a year in prison for things 'he didn't even do' and that he just suffers from 'really bad luck'.
It is as of yet unclear as to why all of the other charges were dropped by prosecutors, particularly as they were of a far more serious nature than that of which he was finally convicted. Plea bargaining in the United States has long been controversial, allowing those charged with severe crimes to often serve minimal sentences, while those with minor offences often spend a long-time locked up. Organised crime figures, such as Sammy' The Bull' Gravano, received only a 5 year sentence despite confessing to multiple murders due to his plea bargaining and the information he provided on the Mafia.
It is unclear whether Miller Jr. provided evidence in relation to other crimes or whether he was simply up against weak prosecution.
The public outcry is likely to increase over time, and many will be hoping that some other prosecution can be brought against someone so seemingly dangerous.
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